Emilie's Story
by I Swear On The Styx
Summary: A rewrite of the previous version. - I was never supposed to be born, being a daughter of Hades, and all. I was never supposed to go to school, or go to camp, or even exist. But more importantly, I was never supposed to fall in love with a god... especially one who's "grounded." DionysusXOC
1. School Could Have Been Better

**Full summary**: I was never supposed to be born, being a daughter of Hades, and all. I was never supposed to go to school, or go to camp, or even exist. But more importantly, I was never supposed to fall in love with a god... especially one who's "grounded." To make matters worse, a psychotic redhead has a vendetta to destroy who-knows-what, probably everything. Things seemed to be under control, but something was off, and even Chiron couldn't tell Camp Half-Blood what was going on. But even with the pressing matter of the end of the universe itself, or maybe just the age of the gods, it seemed as though Aphrodite wouldn't stop with the distractions. Great, as if the infamous camp director wasn't trouble enough without the love goddess' help.

**Author's note**: This story is slowly being rewritten. It's an AU, differing from the original series in a few ways, but my co-writer and I try to keep it as close to canon as possible. I don't suggest reading on to chapters that haven't been rewritten, because details will change and it probably won't be the same once I get to it. But, if you have any questions, leave a review or a pm and I'll get back to you.

There could be some dark themes, most likely explicit things later on, just as a fair warning.

This story is half of a whole. You don't need to read the other to read this story, but it's a lovely read and about Apollo. The title of the other is Elena's Story, and my dear friend Riley has started to rewrite it, as well.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything written by Mr. Rick Riordan, this is but a humble work of fanfiction that I hope entertains you in the least.

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School was never something I was going to fit into. Not in elementary school, not in junior high, and it most certainly not in high school. It simply was never going to get better, despite what my aunt and several counselors had told me, and I think I knew that from very early on. I've always been the ostracized child. School psychiatrists had a field day with me, the instant they saw me they knew they were going to drag me into their office to be analyzed sometime that year. In the third grade I was convinced that was their goal and tried to act normal, but that lasted all of three months. I was suspended a week later.

I wasn't some teenager going through a phase, nor was I being dramatic. I knew for a fact that I wasn't popular, that I was the opposite of popular, I was very antisocial. But most of the time, it wasn't my fault. I wanted friends. I wanted to have sleepovers and play-dates. But nobody would befriend me, they were frightened of me, and I had no idea why. I was lucky to have made friends with Elena before school even started, and I was worried that I was going to lose her up until junior high. But once high school hit, she was stuck with me, and I knew I wouldn't let her go.

But, in truth, I didn't really have anyone else. I didn't have other friends, allies, acquaintances… I was alone, a freak of nature, and that was something I could admit. I was told often enough.

Perhaps it was the very beginning when everything went terribly, terribly wrong. Kindergarten was the earliest I could remember, halfway through that school year, Elena and I were on our very first fieldtrip. Even then, we were inseparable. I can't remember much, we were so young then, and almost a blur surrounds the memories, but Elena and I somehow escaped both of our teachers and sneaked off into the forest. We were chasing after something. All I remember is that it was silver and wispy, almost like a cloud.

Of course, a single demigod would attract a monster, but that was usually once the kid was a little older. But the thing is… the reason Elena and I stuck together, through thick and thin, against all odds, staying by each other's sides even as we moved from school to school, was because we were both of godly decent. Both demigods, brought together by some inner pulling, some sort of instinct. We didn't even realize it was happening, but it somehow kept us safe in the worst of times, and not many demigods can say that they had someone there with them.

At the age of twelve is when the monsters start to hit, usually. But with two demigods, holding hands and wandering off alone in a very dark, dense forest, it was like holding a giant sign, signaling for monsters to come get us. Later, when I learned of monsters, I wasn't surprised that one came after us. I never remembered what it looked like, but the stench was so potent, it was something one could never forget. Sulfur, feces, and rotten eggs… I remember Elena and me looking at each other, wrinkling our noses in disgust.

Two five-year-olds alone in a forest with a terrifying monster at our heels? We were dead meat. Even as demigods, we had no idea how to protect ourselves, we were still such young children. Lucking for us, we weren't the main target of the monster. To it, we were just a lucky snack while it was on its way. We were being watched over, in the good way, by a band of girls. They, compared to the memory, I remember very clearly. There were a bunch of them, all ranging in ages, although they all looked pretty old to me considering I was five. They were dressed in green, silver, and the occasional black. They group of them surrounded the monster just as it was about to swing its long claws at us. I didn't see what they did to the thing; I was too busy squeezing my eyes shut in fear.

There were a few slashes, I could hear something cut the air, and then there was a loud thud. I peeked a single eye open, catching sight of nothing but golden dust on the ground. The girls, now that the monster was gone and I could see them better, had a silvery aura to them. They reminded me of the angels my mother told me about, at the time. The leader stepped forward, appearing to be the oldest in the group. She gave my best friend and I a very long look, then said something quietly along the lines of, "Protect yourselves, maidens." Then, she nodded to the other girls, and they gathered their things and left. It was very much like chicks following a mother duck. I noticed that the last one following, however, was a girl with snow-white hair and she looked like she very much wanted to speak with us. She never got the chance.

After an hour of us tripping over fallen branches and logs, crying in a daze, the police found us. It wasn't until I read the police report a few years later did I know the details of the condition that they found us in. We were covered in golden dust, and we had scents to us. The policeman who found us was very confused, I could tell as much in the report. He said, and I quote, "One smelled like the ocean, and the other smelled like… like autumn."

We were excused from the fieldtrip and sent home to our parents. My mother then gave me a very long lecture on not running off from the group, and then made me a cup of hot chocolate and read me my favorite bedtime story. It was one of the Greek myths that she always read to me, she always said that they would help me later on in life, but I always assumed she meant in school, in a literary sense. Never did I think they would actually apply to my _life. _

The next mishap was three years later, when I was in grade three. At this point, Elena had transferred schools after being expelled for pulling the fire alarm. I remember she did it because it was hot in the halls, and she thought some water would cool us down. I thought she was insane. But this fieldtrip was to a greenhouse, and a very big mistake. I didn't have many friends, and without Elena by my side, I wasn't sure what to do. I sat alone on the bus, curling up in a ball when my teacher forced one of the boys to sit next to me. When we got to the clear, plant-filled building, I wandered the isles alone, listening as the guide droned on about proper nutrients for plants.

It was a particular pair of roses that caught my attention and made me stop. I remember them, the little flowers still imprinted in my memory. They were quite possibly the prettiest things I had ever seen, which meant a lot to me at that time. It was hard, I was nine and my mother had been sent away. I didn't know then, my aunt said she was sick and that she needed help. I didn't ask questions, she made it very clear that asking about my mother, or my father, was something that we didn't do in our household.

The roses were a light pink, but had the littlest tint of orange in them that made them appear to be almost golden. I lifted my hand while marveling at the flowers, my head tilted in fascination. My index finger caressed the soft, silky petal. My joy was short-lived, because moments after I touched it, it started to turn brown, withering and dying right before my eyes. Right there, right in front of me, right in front of the very people who had tormented me for the past year and a half.

I snatched my hand back, clutching it with the fingers of my left hand, and tried my best not to cry, or scream, or even start hyperventilating. I was panicking. It wasn't me, was it? It couldn't have been _me_, there was no possible way that could have happened. Plants didn't just die like that, especially ones as pretty as that rose.

Looking around, almost timidly, I realized that someone else had seen. At first I was relieved, they would believe me and help me ask my teacher, find out what happened, but my relief turned to dread when I saw their expressions. Disgusted, unhappy, and… smug. There were three of them, three girls, and very much like the three from the movie "Mean Girls" that came out a few years later. The leader was named Jamie, which was actually a pretty awful name. I didn't see why she was popular. She tugged on my teacher's sleeve, pointed at me, and said, quite loudly, "Look! Look what Emilie did!"

My expression soon turned scandalized, and I took a step back, uttering some excuse. How plants did that naturally, and all of that. I couldn't ask what happened because then I would have gotten in trouble, but looking back on it, I wish I had asked. It would save me a lot of future trouble.

My sophomore year was no better. At sixteen, many things had changed. Personalities, friends, bodies…but not the distaste for me. At least I had some people who liked me, I was considered a bit odd, but certainly not the biggest freak in the school, and that was all I could have asked for. Jamie was one of the most popular girls in the school, but she was also one of the biggest sluts. There is nothing wrong with being a sexualized woman, but there is never a need to sleep with a man just for social purposes. She did just that.

Even though I was rather innocent in my high school, I still made a rather interesting record for myself. The stoners looked up to me as if I were some sort of god, the jocks looking at me, in my low-cut shirts and skinny jeans, as some nerd girl who didn't really fit in anywhere. Every private school and public school that I was ever sent to, I was kicked out of. My aunt never seemed angry with me, and I could never figure out why, but I didn't complain. I didn't exactly have parents, and she never exactly had kids, so we worked with what we could.

When I was forced out of private school, I had to attend the same high school that I tried my hardest to avoid. I had no choice but to cover up my abnormalities, but luckily, Elena was a troublemaker, too, and by some off chance, we were sent to the same school for the first time in years. Because of this, it wasn't easier to behave, but it was easier to cover up our mistakes. For example, one day Elena found a dagger. It was sharp, long, and completely not hers. She had no idea how it got into her bag in the first place, but we had to get rid of it before someone saw it. Kids got caught for smuggling little three inch cigarettes. A nine-inch knife would surely draw some attention. I've always been the sneaky one, so I sneaked it into my geometry teacher's mini-fridge.

People always assumed that they knew everything about me. Assumed that I cut myself, or my favorite color was black, or that I smoked weed- which I tried once, by the way. I didn't like it, felt way too vulnerable- and that I'd sleep with anyone. None of those things were true. In fact, my favorite colors are peach-pink, gold, and okay, black, but only sometimes. My mom is _clinically insane_, my aunt is a hippie, and I never met my father before the age of sixteen. Not that I could recall, anyway.

The day things really went to shit, though, didn't even start out well. I failed my English assignment- which, to be fair, wasn't ever really my fault because I suffered from dyslexia- I got hit in the face with a volleyball in gym, dropped all of my books in front of a cute boy, and my best friend and I got attacked by a monster.

For her, the day started out normal. Elena had her band fieldtrip to go play someplace, I didn't actually care, and I was stuck back at school. Though she was in band, she wasn't considered a band geek like many others. She was actually considered cool. Her hair was short, spiky, and black, although she had bright blue highlights incorporated into it. Her eyes were a deep sea green, and she was tall, or at least, much taller than my five feet and four inches. She was pale, but not nearly as much as I was. I could have been a ghost. I never went outside if I didn't have to.

She and I are probably opposites in appearance. We are never mistaken for sisters, except maybe that one time, but the man was practically blind. My hair was long, wavy, and dark brown, not like Elena's, who appears to be so black it was nearly blue. Mine had more of a brown to it, although anyone would say outright that it was black. My eyes are brown that occasionally look read, my skin is pale, like porcelain, frail and easy to bruise, and my features were rather soft compared to hers. My eyes were large, doe eyes, they were called, my nose was like a button, and my cheekbones were a prominent although my face was round.

I lived with my Aunt Samantha, though she much preferred to be called Aunt Sammy. She told me that I used to wake up in the middle of the night from my night-terrors. She said I looked like death itself, because I was always so sheet-white, which was probably not the best thing to tell a child. Life with my Aunt Sammy was… flowing. We had a system, if I got in trouble, we would have a long talk about it, and then promptly never speak of it again.

When Elena arrived at school after her trip, she was in the worst of moods. The people with her had gotten on her nerves, which was to be expected, they were idiots, and the last thing she wanted to do was eat lunch with the very people she detested. I suggested that we eat in a more secluded part of the school, nobody would be anywhere near the track, which was pretty far out. She agreed full-heartedly, and we headed out. She always packed her lunch, and I never even bothered. I stopped bringing my lunches to school after my mother was taken from me, and she took it upon herself to feed me. She packed me my own lunch, a sandwich along with hers, a water bottle, a bag of chips… it was good. Better than nothing, which was what I would have had if she wasn't there.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and I paused for a moment, swallowing my food before speaking, forcing the thick bread down my throat. "Did you hear that?" I asked her casually, leaning back on one arm, my hand digging into the grass. We were in the center of the track, I detested the way the cement felt against my skin when we sat down on it, hot and rough and unpleasant. My fingers intertwined with the grass, not caring about the dirt smudging my palm. I wasn't looking at her, my eyes were closed and my face was facing the sky, my chin up and my expression relaxed.

"I didn't hear anything," she said in reply. I heard the crunch of her chips and the crinkling of the bag in the center of her lap, her legs crossed. We didn't have to say anything, we were both exhausted and a chat was nothing that either of us needed.

I frowned slightly, but didn't move from my position. I was too calm and too lazy to do anything that involved moving. "It was just thunder. Pretty far away, too, we should be fine."

"Are you sure?" she asked in return, although she didn't sound particularly worried.

"Am I ever wrong?" I challenged.

"Frequently."

There was another beat of silence before I heard her shift. Her fingers tapped against the bag, and even with my eyes closed I could tell she was fidgeting. She only did that when she was worried about something, or that something was nagging her. "Something on your mind?" I opened my eyes, blinking at the graying sky before looking at her.

She looked at the sky herself, once, before nodding, taking the last bite of her peanut butter and honey sandwich. Then, she wiped her mouth, ridding herself of any crumbs, and asking, "What is this I hear about you getting a boyfriend?"

The answer she gave me was certainly one I didn't expect, and I could only blink as I stared at her for a few moments. Then I groaned, leaning forward into a more stable, balanced position, and dropped my face in my hands. "You heard about that?" There was no boyfriend to even speak of. I may have had a bit of experience with some guys, but all of the "boyfriends" I had were idiots, just wanting to get into my pants. None lasted more than a month, and I never really, actually liked any of them anyway.

"Of course I heard about it, it's my job to hear about things like that… so what's going on with Danny? Are you dating or not?"

I stared at her in disgust for a moment, and she cracked a smile at me before I answered. "No. He wants to, and he told everyone that we are, but no. No, no, no. He's not my type."

"Of course," she replied, her tone so amused it made me want to hit her. "And what is your type?"

"Why? Are you interested?"

"Why would I date someone as ugly as you?"

Elena and I stared at each other for a long moment, then broke out laughing, both of our moods improving as we giggled. "I don't know, do I have to have a type? Guys are guys, I'd be lucky to find one who's good looking, smart, and willing to date me."

She simply rolled her eyes at me, but I knew she understood. Elena, though never would she admit it, was secretly hoping for the same thing. She opened her mouth to say something, but thunder boomed above us, so loudly that even I jumped. I frowned, then, my eyebrows creasing as my mind raced. There was no possible way the thunder could have travelled that quickly, it was miles off only minutes before. The wind picked up, my hair lifting into the air a bit, and I stood up. "It's not going to rain," I told her. "I'll be right back, I need to pee."

Elena didn't look convinced, but she knew better than to argue with me when I told her to stay put. After too many times of me wandering off and her leaving the spot where I left her, it made me very cautions on the matter. I stretched my body out to the point where I heard something crack. Satisfied, I tossed my phone to the ground next to her, something I always did. There wasn't a real reason, perhaps I was convinced I would get it stolen while around other people, or perhaps I trusted her with it. But most of the time, I just didn't feel like carrying it.

I quickly walked inside, pushing through and shoving aside people while making my way through the main hallway. It was stuffed with students who were talking, eating, and some even fighting. I nearly tripped over some idiot lying on the floor, but caught myself on another person's shoulder. I muttered a small apology before ducking into the girls' bathroom. Of course there was a line, but when was there not?

It was ages before I was actually in a stall and a few more before I was back through the crowd, opening the heavy glass door to the field outside. Students weren't actually allowed on the track, but in our situation, "yolo" would have been an appropriate term. We sneaked through the first time, and I could most certainly do it again if it weren't for a large hand clasping itself on my shoulder. My face fell, and I tried my hardest not to grimace as I turned around, seeing who it was that caught me. Once I saw that it was Mr. Brunner, however, my distaste instantly turned into relief.

Mr. Brunner was my absolute favorite teacher. He taught world history, but made sure it was never boring, with games and trivia and dirty jokes. No one ever fell asleep in class, even me, who was considered stupid by anyone who could read. He liked me, though, which was why I liked him the most. Respect is a mutual thing, and if I was mistreated, then I was going to act the same way. I always found it odd that he kept his class at a very slow pace, mainly the pace that I could keep up with. He liked Greek and Roman stuff, I noticed, but I never minded. I liked the ancient myths more than anything else.

The wind from the open door shifted, and I caught his scent of cinnamon and tweed. His appearance always reminded me of the 1960's, with his dark hair and homey sweaters and cardigans. "Miss Reynolds," he said, making eye contact with me, not that I would back down from a fight, even one as minor as a staring contest. His eyes darted from mine, to the door, to mine again. "You _are _well aware that you are not permitted to leave the building, yes?"

I shrugged at him, knowing better then to put up the innocent façade in front of him. He always saw right through it, and I always felt bad when I lied to him. "I know, but Elena and I wanted to sit somewhere without so many people."

He glanced up at the sky, an eyebrow raised, "In this weather?"

Giving him a "what do you want me to even say" look, I shrugged again, unsure of what to say. "I don't really mind, it's very dark out. I like that, you know, and Elena loves storms." Mr. Brunner just stared at me, and I felt like I was disappointing him somehow, so I said quickly, "I'm sorry, sir, we can move back inside if you want us to, but I just thought that it's ridiculous that all of us have to be crammed in here, and I'm especially claustrophobic-"

Mr. Brunner held up his hand, his eyes softening as I stopped speaking. "That isn't necessary, my dear. I'll let this slide… if you get an A on your test today." He was serious, but he gave me a small smile to alert me that I wasn't in any real trouble.

If it were any other subject, I would have grabbed Elena and went back inside. School was never my strong suit, though that didn't mean I wasn't smart. If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. However, Mr. Brunner's class wasn't just any class, it was history. "Of course, how could I not? This is ancient Rome we're talking about, my favorite subject."

He looked at me, his gaze almost a bit _worried_ about me, at my _mental_ state. What was wrong with ancient Rome? It had rules, and gladiators, and gods, and drama… the look he gave me made me slightly unnerved, but I ignored it due to the fact that I could hear, just faintly, a very terrified scream. My eyes widened in horror, because that scream was something I recognized from when we were children, lost in the woods and frightened. However, this time it was clear, not blurred by memories.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I slammed into the glass door, breaking out into a quick sprint towards the track once I was outside. I didn't even care about Mr. Brunner, or the rules, or any of the other kids, because they deemed themselves unimportant once I knew I was needed. A person would only scream like that if they were really, truly scared. It scared me thinking about what kind of trouble she was in- why was I stupid enough to leave her alone? It wasn't like we went to a good school or anything, people were dangerous from all around.

When I usually ran on the track during school, I was incredibly slow, tripping over everything in my way and possibly even the air itself. But it was different then, Elena in trouble made my mind race, my body somehow acting on its own accord and moving in a manner I've never seen before. I wouldn't feel the ache in my muscles until days later, or perhaps that was from the ache of other wounds. Either way, I felt that it was almost my job to protect her. The darkness I felt was something that was familiar to me, even if I didn't know where it was from.

The scene I arrived at was something of chaos. Elena was running, swerving side to side as she was darting from the talons of some bat-creature. I froze in my spot, squinting at it. Surely it had to be a fake? But the blood on her arm and face certainly wasn't, and a memory of something flashed in my head. A Fury, Mr. Brunner had taught us about those… it was a Fury and it looked absolutely _seething. _

My head whipped around, searching for something to hit the thing with. I didn't know what the exact protocol was, for killing a Fury, but I saw something strange and I had the urge to hit it with a stick. I found one of the small, thin, weak trees in the middle of the track and tugged on a branch, pulling rather hardly for it to come off. It snapped, but I fell backwards, swearing. My body was filled with adrenaline, and I was able to get up and brush it off as if it were nothing.

Raindrops fell heavily on my face as I ran at the monster from behind, swinging the stick at it as if it were a racket or a baseball bat. The sturdy tree branch broke in half as if it were a twig, but the vibrations from the break reverberating into my hand, causing me to drop the thing and swear again. I swore a lot after that, much more than I really should have.

Elena was on the ground, panting and bleeding from the claw marks on her body. They weren't terribly deep, but her light eyes widened as she looked at me. I turned too slowly, and the monster scraped its thick, black thorns for claws across my face. I screamed at the pain, it being something I really was not used to. I could barely even handle a paper cut, but that? I lifted my hand to my face, only to be met with the warm wetness of my own, crimson blood.

My head snapped up at its low chuckle, the Fury landing on its so-called feet. Fear began to replace the adrenaline, the awful feeling sinking into my bones as the monster's red eyes stared at me, as if it were hungry and wanted _me_. The look was absolutely soul-wrenching, but I wasn't surprised. I began to back up, but with every backwards step I took, it stalked forward one more. "N-now, now," I cooed shakily, my voice low and out of breath. "You really wouldn't want to hurt me, would you?"

The Fury, which I was only sure was female because of the myths, stared at me as if it wanted to peel me to ribbons, and examine the inside of me. Look at every muscle, bone, and cell, and then sow me to back together like something Frankenstein would do. It moved again, but this time I put my arms up in front of my face, protecting then sensitive flesh from the talons that sank into the meaty skin of my arm. There was a distant scream that didn't belong to me, for I screamed something else, my mouth forming the words of forceful pleas. "Stop! Stop it! _Stop_!"

The last plea was more of an order, an order that had so much power and authority behind it that it had me thinking that it was someone else who had said it. The Fury looked startled, if I could even call it that. I peered down at the wounds on my arms, letting out a small gag of disgust, forcing the building bile in my throat down. The monster lifted its large wings, and I cringed back as if it would hit me again, but it only flapped them, flying off into a bunch of black smoke. The relief I felt was like I was floating into the air, as if gravity had released me from its bonds and I was free to do as I wished.

I looked to Elena, who had dirt smudged all over her pale skin, her eyes full of panic. Her messy hair was tangled, despite its short length, looking very much like the nest of a bird. Her gaze was desperate, her eyes unable to pull away from the bleeding mess that was my arm. "It's not that bad," I said meekly, quietly, careful not to look at it again myself. Blood was a tender topic for me, as were needles and major wounds.

Elena's eyebrows then knitted together, staring past me, almost as if over my shoulder. I turned, my hand covering the lacerations on my arm to prevent more of the sticky liquid to escape. My eyes caught sight of Mr. Brunner twenty feet away from us on the concrete, unable to come any closer because of his wheelchair. I saw an expression on his face that I have never seen before: _confusion_.

There was a quiet whisper of something under Elena's breath, but I didn't catch it for once. I did, however, catch that she pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped her screen, ringing 911. She moved a few feet away, one hand pulling her hood up over her head to prevent the rain from getting her phone wet. I heard her ask for an immediate ambulance. I wanted to faint at it all, but I didn't. Not yet.

I stumbled to my history teacher, the words spilling from my mouth as I was unable to control myself. "It was a Fury, like the ones from the ancient myths. I—it attacked us." I didn't say anything else to him, not "Oh, please help me" or "What the fuck was that?" No… just, "It's a goddamn Fury."

His smart, clever, helpful reply was, "Are you sure?"

"Is now really the time for this?" I demanded, "Yes, I'm sure! I recognized it from those lessons you gave us. It was after Elena, but I… um… hit it with a stick. It didn't like that and hit me with its claws, the rest is obvious." I was short with him, which was completely understandable, seeing as I was _bleeding_.

His lips formed a thin line, his body leaning to the right as to look over my shoulder at Elena, who was yelling into her phone. His gaze slid back to me, "It was never supposed to be you. I never expected you, Miss Reynolds… how long have you known Miss Westlie?"

I stared at him, my mouth falling open in the slightest of surprise. The thoughts that went through my head were scattered, but where along the same lines of wondering if I was going to bleed out because he insisted on having that damned conversation. "Since we were four," I said sourly, "and I've been by her side ever since."

"As I suspected."

Elena let out a frustrated yell, angrily tapping at her phone and shoving it in her pocket. Still panting heavily, she ran over to us, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as if to steady me. "The ambulance will be here soon, just try not to bleed, 'kay, Emilie?"

I shot her a look of annoyance, but never truly replied. She knew full well I couldn't just, "stop bleeding." My knees were weak, wobbling under the pressure of my own body, and I had to grip the handle on Mr. Brunner's wheelchair for support. There were not black dots in my vision, but more like pauses. I felt dizzy, like I couldn't feel my feet and didn't know how to keep myself upright. I never passed out before, I wondered if that was what it was like. If so, I never wanted to do it again, it was a sickening experience.

"Are you all right?" I asked her. She was, after all, the one who was attacked in the first place. She was scraped and dirty, too, but much smarter than I was when it came to the monster. She ducked, and I just charged. But it got the monster to leave and she was alive, as was I, so it was considered an achievement in my book.

She let out a strangled laugh, something that sounded forced but also like she was unable to stop herself at the same time, "Am _I_ all right? Do I look like I'm all right?" Despite my state, I opened my mouth to answer her, but she held her hand up, beating me to it, "Don't answer that."

"Maybe you should sit down," I suggested, spitting some water out of my mouth. My hair was drenched, sticking to my back. Mr. Brunner tapped at his chair. Everything seemed so surreal, surely it was just a dream?

"Maybe _you_ should sit down," she smartly replied, but even with the rain pounding and my head aching, I could hear the worry in her voice. It was in my tone not five minutes before. I wondered how this all could be happening, monsters didn't appear at schools and I didn't make stupid moves like that or get cut up. I could barely handle a needle, let alone freak accident wounds.

I could faintly hear the sound of sirens in the distance, slowly getting louder and louder. I heard Elena say my name in surprise, her tone loud and startling as she knelt behind me. I collapsed against her, a large sigh escaping my lips as I let my eyes flutter closed. Just a minute of rest, just before the ambulance got there. Maybe I would even wake up.

-xxx-

I didn't realize it then, but I should have been more disoriented when I woke up. Instead, I squinted my eyes, my eyelids heavy as the white light of the hospital room flooded into them. I sat up in my bed, noticing the prickling of pain in my arm, but didn't dwell too much on it. I knew there was an IV in my arm, and I tried very hard to ignore it. The drugs were all that was keeping the pain at bay.

The sound of the heart monitor wasn't as loud as it would have been if I wasn't on medication. My eyes found the clock, and it said three, but from the lack of sunlight coming from behind the blinds in front of the window, I figured it was still pretty early. Far too early for the lights to be on.

The room itself was rather bland, but expensive in hospital room standards. I wondered how we could afford it, but figured it was some sort of insurance thing. My aunt and I weren't exactly rich, but I got nice things all the time, so I didn't complain. I never complained.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice scratchy. I resisted the urge to cough and grabbed the water bottle on the table beside my bed. I tried to twist the top open, but the meds had made me too weak, I wasn't able to open it.

There was a slight rustling coming from the bathroom, then a flush and the sound of running water hitting the sink. It was another minute before the door opened, my Aunt Sammy entering the room. She was a middle-aged woman, my mother's older sister. She had long brown hair with streaks of grey running down the sides. She didn't believe in hair-dyes, and that was perfectly okay, it gave her a sort of trusting aura. She was wearing one of those seventies headbands with a feather stuck to it, and her skin was a nice tan, the only one in the family who even had the slightest bit of color to her.

She made her way over to me, her flip-flops making noises against the tile. Her skirt was ankle-long, made from jeans just like her jacket, and she looked very, very worried. Her fingers felt cool against my forehead, and she murmured, "Oh, Emy, dear. You're burning up."

Emy was the nickname she came up for me when I was just a baby, and it's stuck ever since. I never really mind, it wasn't anything too ridiculous or embarrassing, not that I had anyone she could really embarrass me in front of. Elena's been used to it for years just like I have. She even had her own nickname, as well.

Quieter, she muttered, "I don't think it will… let's just try it." I frowned in confusion, watching with slightly widened eyes as she grabbed her purse from under my bed, a silver canteen being pulled from it. She handed it to me, and I took it with weak fingers.

"I'm just fine with water—" I tried to say, but she just unscrewed the top and nodded to me. I sighed, knowing it was probably one of her disgusting herb drinks, but took a gulp just to humor her.

It was remarkable.

She grabbed it before I could drink anymore, but even from the sip I had, it was the best thing I could have ever tasted. It was warm and slick when it went down my throat, the taste like brownies and vanilla ice cream and just _sugar_. It stopped any chills I had, didn't realize I had until that point, and warmed me to my very core.

"How do you feel now?"

"Better," I said, flexing my fingers, "but only by a little. What is that stuff? It's great."

"Nectar," she said quietly, slumping down in the chair next to my bed. She placed it carefully in her purse, and you would have thought it was a baby or a small kitten, with the amount of caution she used.

"What, like from flowers?"

"No, no," she murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "it's something your father drinks. He's the one who sent it, after all."

"My father?" I asked, startled. I tried to sit up straighter, but her hand pushed me down gently, falling back into the slightly inclined bed. He was never something we talked about, it just… I knew nothing about him. At all. I actually assumed he was dead.

Aunt Sammy shook her head, not disclosing any more information. "_Shh_," she told me, "go back to sleep. You need your rest."

I didn't want to sleep, I wanted answers, but I didn't have a choice. With her purse in hand, she exited the room, turning off the lights as she went. I tapped my fingers against the inside of my thigh, and with the new rush of drugs that entered my system- I guess it was automated or something- I fell asleep, just like she wanted.

-xxx-

When I woke up next, it was very early in the morning. Light poured in from the window, the blinds now open. I frowned, but didn't mind too much. One the table in the far corner, there were two vases that were brought to my attention by the sunlight reflecting off of them. One was small, with colorful flowers and a smiley face balloon sticking out of it. Half assed. Most likely from school. But it was a nice sentiment.

The second vase was much different. The glass was dark red, and the flowers were roses, red and black, which was more than odd. My arm was in a cast, I didn't _die_. I desperately wanted to get up and peek at them, see if there was a card, but there was still a needle in my arm and I didn't want to do anything bad to it.

The thing encasing my arm was a bright blue. Not the color I would have chosen, but I didn't mind all too much. I was glad it wasn't in a sling, it would have driven me mad. I've always been jittery, restraint would end up killing me somehow.

There was a squeak, the hospital door being opened, and in came Elena. She had a few scratches and those small bandage things on her forehead, but other than that, she was fine. "See?" she asked someone on the outside, her tone slightly angry. "She's awake." I noticed she retouched her highlights. When did she even find the time?

I recognized the voices outside of the room, Aunt Sammy and Elena's mother, and she closed the door before I could catch any clear words. "What's wrong with you?" I asked, though my tone wasn't harsh. I didn't get why she would be this upset, we were both fine.

"There's something I have to tell you," she said lowly, pulling up a stool next to my bed and perching herself on it. "The monster that attacked us… it was real."

"Real?" I echoed, looking at her as if she were insane, "There's no possible way-"

"It just is, okay?" she interrupted, her pitch higher than usual. "I talked to Mr. Brunner, and my mom. They couldn't tell me more than that, other than… you need to get out of here, Emilie. Your Aunt Sammy will try to keep you here as long as possible, because she loves you, but it isn't safe. You have to talk to your mom."

"Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, holding up a hand and squeezing my eyes shut. "What are you even saying? That I have to leave here? It's a _hospital_, 'Lena, that isn't going to happen."

She tossed me a bag. It had a bunch of my stuff in it, but only the necessities, I noticed, as if… "Am I running away?"

"No… _we're_ running away." She held up a thin, ivory business card between her fingers. "Before he left, Mr. Brunner gave me this. We have to go, Emilie, or else we're going to be killed. You saw what that thing did to your arm, what do you think it'll do to your intestines? Our parents don't understand… we have to go, but you need answers first."

I swallowed, not saying anything for a moment. The whole idea was insane, but Elena was the rational one, and I trusted her more than anything. If she said we needed to do this… I believed her. "All right… but take care of this," I said, holding out my arm to her. I turned my head away, closing my eyes as she took the needle out of me. There was no way I was going to do it myself.

When she said it was out and out of sight, I took the bag she tossed on my lap between my fingers, rushing to the bathroom. The hospital gown was beginning to give me a slight chill, I was so used to skinny jeans and sweatshirts.

I chose something simple, nothing that would draw any attention. My heart was pounding, and I had to take deep breaths to calm myself, and even that barely worked. I was nervous, and I've done some pretty messed up shit in my life.

Outside, Elena told her mom and my aunt to go get some coffee or something, we were just going to have some girl time. It was another five minutes before we were out the door, a sticky note on my hospital bed with the short words of, "_I'm sorry_," scribbled on it.

We made our way to the back entrance, and though I was sure we were going to be caught, the lights flickered and the few nurses that were passing us ignored us completely, almost as though they couldn't even see Elena and I. When we left the hospital, we grabbed a cab to my apartment and took my car. It was a black Mercedes and probably cost more than the apartment itself, but my aunt said she won it in a contest or something, and if I didn't appreciate it she would give it back. I certainly appreciated it.

"I'll drive—" she began to say, but I only shook my head and took my keys from her.

"There's no way I'm letting you. It's just a cast, I'll do just fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

-xxx-

I pulled up into the parking lot of the hospital. I didn't like calling it for what it was, insane asylum sounded too much like a psycho murderer type thing. It was a tall white building, nothing too out of the ordinary. It was sanitary, and probably safe, it being one of the best in the world, but it still freaked me out. I just had the feeling that more things happened between the walls than what was told.

There was security, as there always was. It was different to a regular hospital, there couldn't be any risks, because the patients weren't in their right minds. It was a lot like an airport, actually, I couldn't have any metal or things like that. My bag was full of clothes and toothbrushes and, thank God, eyeliner.

I knew where her room was without asking, even though I hardly ever visited her. It was hard to visit, it was hard to see her like this even though this was all I could really remember of her. It's not the type of thing you envision when you think of your mother, but this was my life and I had to deal with it.

To me, her room was the scariest in all of the building. It wasn't any different than any of the other patients' rooms, except for the drawings taped all over the walls of the room. They were all done in crayon, she couldn't be trusted with a pencil, she may stab her eye out. The drawings were mostly composed of things I didn't recognize, but every once in a while I would recognize a monster, like from when we studied ancient Greece in world history.

Ghosts didn't scare me, they never have, movies like _The Exorcist_ have always seemed silly, but they scare my mother. Terribly. I remember some things about her, before she went completely crazy, I was still very little and the memories are hazy, but I remember very clearly the wince she would get when a ghost was mentioned on Halloween. I didn't think anything of it then, nobody did. It was completely unexpected what happened to her.

I took a deep breath and opened the door, slipping in with ease. She was dressed in white, her blonde hair cropped short. It was very obvious my dark locks didn't come from her. She was pale, and she was so thin, I wondered if they were feeding her enough.

She was singing a lullaby to herself in some language that seemed familiar, but I didn't think too much on the words. I let my beg fall off of my shoulder and drop to the floor, the noise not as loud as it would have been if it wasn't filled with soft clothing. The noise still got her attention, however, which was the point.

"Emilie!" she exclaimed, jumping from her bed and pulling me into a hug. She was very graceful, even in her state, but also very short, like a pixie. Her voice was very high-pitched, as mine was, only my voice was a few tones lower, so I didn't sound like a mouse. I still annoyed people, however, once or twice I would catch a comment from one of my teachers or classmates.

"Hey, Mom," I said, gently pushing her down onto her bed. She scuttled back, sitting in the center, crossing her legs. Her hands folded in her lap, and she looked at me with wide, trusting eyes. I swallowed, sitting on the edge and stared at the ground, letting out a long sigh. I had no idea how to start.

"What's the matter?" she asked, much like a small child would to a stressed parent. That was what she seemed to be, a small child, when it should have been the opposite.

I decided to be quick about it. A feeling of unease and slight disgust rushed through me, and it was risky enough being there after I ran away from the hospital. "I was attacked by a monster," I blurted out, my words quick, yet understandable.

There was a tense beat of silence, then the bed shook as she uncrossed her legs, standing on her knees as she hovered over me. Her hand was hesitant, but then firmly gripped my shoulder. Her tone and expression was deathly serious, and it unnerved me how quickly her entire being had changed.

"Tell me everything."

I gave her a swift summary, leaving out unimportant details like my worry for Elena, or how I had broken out of the hospital and planned on running away. She stared at me the whole time, listening, not blinking, and I shifted away from her slightly half way through. She didn't notice.

When I finished, she stood up, "What did it look like?" I blinked and looked up at her, letting a vague description slip from my lips. She acted as though this were completely normal. I know she was insane, but, still, it didn't…

Her fingertips ran across the wall, silent except for the little flips the paper made when she passed by them. It took a few moments of searching, but she plucked a piece of paper off of the wall, the tape ripping the top of it slightly. She wrinkled her nose in distaste, but handed it to me nonetheless.

It was the exact same monster.

I let the paper fall to the bed, a breath escaping my lips as I squeezed my eyes shut. "Okay, just, hang on. What is this? How is this possible? What is _going on_?"

Her hand was on my shoulder again, sliding up my neck and curling a stray strand of my hair. "Honey," she said lightly, almost distracted, "your father is a Greek god."

My eyes shot open, and I could only gape at her, not unlike a large fish. "I- what are you- a Greek _what_?"

"God," was her answer, very causal and nonchalant. I hated her for it.

I stood up swiftly, out of her grip despite the almost-painful tug on my hair. "That's bullshit. I can't believe I let Elena talk me into seeing you," I muttered, picking my bag off of the floor and slipping the strap onto my shoulder.

"It makes sense!" she said from behind me. "He told me himself, you know. It would explain the monsters coming after you, and the power you had over it, the Fury. Your story makes you seem like a charmspeaker, but I know tha-"

"That's enough, Mom!" I bellowed, grabbing the door handle. "I've heard enough. I don't want to listen to your insane banter anymore." I saw a flash of hurt pass through her eyes, but I was already running out the door.

I wasn't supposed to run through the hospital, it was a general rule, but it wasn't like I was going to ever go back. I hated myself for beginning to cry, I felt the heat pool behind my cheeks, tears blurring my vision. I tried wiping them away with my sleeve, but then I didn't see where I was going and tripped over a stray wheelchair in the middle of the lobby-like area.

I cursed under my breath, looking up to see several people staring at me. There were four of them, all on one of the couches, and three of them were very, very old women. So old they were practically ancient. Their silver hair was tied into tight buns behind their heads, and they were knitting some sort of large pair of bright fuchsia socks.

I was still on the ground, almost like I was being held down by their gazes, although the one I locked eyes with wasn't an old woman. It was a man. He couldn't be older than twenty-five, dark black curls, fair skin, lean build. He was wearing a dark purple t-shirt and zebra skinny jeans. It didn't match, but he was very handsome in it, almost as if he were some sort of celebrity. His eyes were bright blue, but for a second they flashed, turning purple when they were shadowed.

The three women surrounding him looked like they were displeased, but he didn't seem to mind, he was grinning a bit sadistically, obviously enjoying himself, a diet coke in hand. There were a few people, patients perhaps, which surrounded them, almost as though they all knew each other. But his amusement faded when one of the women took out a large pair of golden scissors from their basket. I felt chilled to the bone, but I, for the life of me, couldn't get up.

The man with the crazy hair and purple eyes turned his head from me, murmuring something to the women. I didn't hear what he was saying, but by the sour looks on their faces, I knew it couldn't be good.

The woman on the far end shushed him, the scissors about to snip at the piece of yarn that I didn't notice had been extended between the other's fingers.

I didn't know why I was so afraid, why my bones suddenly felt achy and I felt too terrified to move, but I knew that I was helpless in front of the three old women with wrinkly skin and dark eyes. A whisper drifted through the air, the room suddenly going ice-cold, like how my hands felt against the tiled floor. They were already shaking, but scissors were put away, three gazes sliding back to me. Four, if you counted him, but he wasn't particularly scary at that point.

The man stared at me for a moment, and I didn't move until he whispered very harshly, "_Run_!"

I certainly didn't have to be told twice. I scrambled to my feet and was out the door faster than I could even count. The warmth and humidity of the air was lovely on my chilled skin, and I slipped into the driver's seat of my car. Elena looked up at me, halfway through flipping to the next page of a magazine. "So how did it go?"

I ignored her question and asked one of my own, "Where's the address you wanted to go to?"

"Erm…" she shifted, digging through her purse before pulling out an ivory-colored card. "You know where that strawberry farm is? It's by there, it's on a hill or something… it's a camp, apparently."

"A camp?" I asked, not looking at her though I wanted to. We were a bit old for summer camps.

"Yeah, Camp Half-Blood."


	2. My Car Gets Fucked Up By Lightning

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Elena asked for the millionth time. I didn't answer, I just shushed her and tightened my grip on the leather steering wheel. Of course I knew where I was going, it was a long time ago, but I had been there before. I recognized the path through the trees and past the strawberry farm. I had the faintest memory of sunlight and buildings and people. There were a lot of things that had happened that I couldn't remember.

It was getting dark, and I swore under my breath when rain started to pour down on top of the car, but continued to speed up. We were going much too fast, but the feeling of disgust kept building up in my stomach, and I felt scared. I didn't know if I was just paranoid or if something was really chasing us, but I wasn't going to risk it. I didn't need any more monsters hurting us.

Something bright flashed in front of the car, causing the metal to bend and a shock to go through it. The car flipped, the controls flashing and the horn going off. The damage was like running into a tree, but we ended up rolling over, off of the path of the road and down the side of the hill we were on.

We had our seatbelts on, but my head still banged on the side of the window. It was already cracked, but it hurt more than I would have liked it to. My hands flew out, trying to grasp at Elena. There was no point in holding onto the wheel anymore.

It wasn't the third role that got me, it was the airbag that was delayed. It caused something like whiplash, my head banging into the head of the chair. Perhaps leaving the hospital was a bad move, I hoped it was worth it.

Everything slowed down after that last hit. Things were flying everywhere, my drink from the last time I used my car flying through the air, liquid trailing behind. Elena's eyes were wide, staring ahead and her hair was splaying everywhere, as if in space. Mine did the same, but when we crashed top-down again, everything sped up again and things were black, like before a dream started yet you're still asleep.

The most peculiar thing, however, was the dream that came after the crash. I was on the ground, which was black and dirty and cold as ice. The air around me was cold as well, and dark, like my eyes were closed. There was a faint light in the distance, so I stood up shakily, making my way towards it. My Converse made slight noises against the ground, the sound of it echoing off of the walls. My arms wrapped around myself, but I wasn't shivering.

Once I got to the light, I seemed even more lost than before. The area surrounding me was slightly brighter, and I could see the faintest trace of something, but that was it. There were whispers all around me, and tall grass tickled my knees through my jeans.

Something gripped my arm and pulled me through the grass and onto a path, but when I turned to see what it was, there was nothing there. I stumbled a bit, but continued on the way it wanted me to go. Up above, high above, black spikes hovered on the ceiling. I hurried along, not wanting to be impaled by one. It was frightening, but it was also quite interesting, but I didn't stay and explore.

Time was warped in my dream. I dozed off a bit, still walking, and although it seemed to be for only a few seconds, it must have been for much more, because I stood in front of two large doors. My eyebrows pulled together in confusion, and suddenly, they opened, a gush of even colder air hitting my face and the rest of me. My nose must have been rose red.

I stood there for a moment longer before I felt a thing push at me. Again, when I turned to look at it, there was nothing there, but there was no way it was a trick of the wind. My dreams were never that convenient.

My footsteps were even louder than they were in the dark cave. Suddenly, I was forced to my knees, kneeling by some dark, unknown force. They stung, but there would only be bruising. My palms shot out in front of me, but they didn't scrape against the floor like I thought they would. The floor here was smooth, clean, like marble.

"You're not as much of a disappointment as I thought you were," I heard a low, manly voice lazily say, "but there is still room for much improvement." The tone was patronizing, but also as if I were being analyzed, being tested, and like a note for himself. Louder, directed to me, he said, "You're lucky, you know. I'll spare you this time, but you need to watch yourself. You are far too clumsy for your own good, it will get you killed in the heat of battle, which is surely coming. You need to prepare yourself."

And then, with a sharp pain to my face, I wasn't kneeling on the cold floor anymore, but on the ground with a pair of dazzling blue eyes staring me right in the face. I realized it was a guy, and his hand was a few inches from my cheek.

"Did you _slap_ me?" I asked, although my mind wasn't quite there when I said it.

"You weren't waking up," he replied, obviously relieved, rolling off of me. I could hear the sound of rushing footsteps, yells, and perhaps even the pounding of hooves against the dirt. Elena was on the ground beside me, "I'm sorry about your car."

"What about my car?" I slurred, letting my head loll to the side to get a good look at her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Why are your cheeks and nose so red?"

"I-"

"Chiron! Over here!" He called out, hesitantly looking back down at me, "Are you all right?"

I didn't answer. My eyes closed, and I wanted to sleep. I wanted things to stop being so insanely stupid, like out of some cheesy adventure novel or TV show. Things in my life were different, but not that different. At this rate I was going to be dead by the end of the week, and that most certainly wasn't a plan of mine.

There was blood sticking to my hair and I grimaced, but I managed to catch glimpse of my smoking black car, pieces of metal hot and scattered. Up above, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and I wondered very faintly if everything would even work out this time.

-xxx-

At least it wasn't a hospital this time around.

The sunlight was bright and orange as it reflected off of the walls, which seemed to be very decorated with ribbons and newspaper clippings and photos when there wasn't a shelf. On the shelves were medical supplies, bandages and needles and useful things, emergency things that had to be accessible.

I was incredibly sore but I kicked the bright red blanket off of me, feeling far too hot and far too enclosed, even in my own skin. It was scorching compared to the black cave from my dream. I noticed I was in jean shorts and a bright orange t-shirt, which was sort of hideous but I didn't mind it all too much.

I was in some sort of hammock made of bright white string and was surprisingly comfortable. My arm was still encased in my bright blue cast, but my torso had been bandaged as well as my head. I poked at my stomach, wincing slightly at the stinging pain. It was pretty bruised up, I was almost afraid of when I was going to have to unwrap it.

"She's up!" a male voice called out, and I looked around, catching sight of a tall boy walking through the doorway. He had blond hair and was fairly tan, though it looked natural, which I found odd, considering all of the rain and lack of sunshine we've had. He stepped forward, offering a hand which I hesitantly took. "Hi, I'm Eric, son of Apollo. You had a pretty nasty crash, but a few of my sisters and I fixed you up fairly well."

I wanted to ask several questions, but the first that arose to my lips was, "Are you the one that found us?"

He blinked, then shook his head, "Nah, that was my older brother Will. He's not here right now, he's at the cabin meeting."

I nodded, my mouth letting out a soft sound of acknowledgment. I didn't know who Will was, but I had plans to thank him whenever I was able to.

I flipped the hem of my orange shirt back and forth, fiddling with it as I looked down at my lap. My legs were crossed, my casted arm limp at my side. "Who changed me?"

"Oh, one of my sisters. The guys aren't allowed to do that unless it's absolutely necessary."

It was an awkward sort of silence after that. He stood there, unsure of what to say, and I sat not five feet from him, playing with my new clothes. The shirt was tight enough to where it didn't bother me, but I only wore really loose shirts to bed. I wondered if I had to wear it all the time.

I wondered a lot of things, actually.

My ears picked up the faintest sound of yelling, and arguing, but the noise was sort of echoed, as if it was underwater or I was hearing it through glass.

"-you have to let me see her-"

"I'm really sorry, but that's against the rules-"

"-I didn't break her out of the hospital just to be stopped from-"

"I really can't let you-"

"-let me see her, dammit!"

"I'm telling you, we really can't."

"Oh, let the lady through," I yelled over my shoulder. My voice may be soft when I spoke, but if I got screaming you could hear me from miles away. Eric's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but I simply shrugged at him, shifting slightly in my cot.

There was a beat of silence, and then a smug laugh and the sound of footsteps on wood, a door creaking slightly as Elena walked through. Despite her smirk-ish smile, she looked quite angry, her eyes like a wild storm in a humid summer.

"Emilie…" she threatened when she saw me, her smirk turning into a chastising frown as she sat down beside me, "who do you think you are?"

"I'm sorry?" I asked, because that was the last thing I expected her to say, not that I really expected anything. I was still in a sort of daze, I wasn't reacting like I was supposed to, like panicking and asking questions, demanding where I was and what had happened.

"Who do you think you are?" she repeated.

"Emilie Aria Reynolds?"

"And, _Emilie Aria Reynolds_, what do you suppose I would do if you weren't to come back?"

"I- what are you even talking about?"

"You _died_, Emilie," she said lowly, leaning forward on the palms of her hands, gripping the white strings of the cot between her fingers. "We weren't sure we'd be able to get you back, but the head of the Apollo cabin was able to do it."

I stared at her for a long moment, my eye twitching as my mind sorted through her words. "Apollo…?" I asked slowly. I heard the words a few times already, but I had no idea what anyone was talking about. Was it some kind of code word? Where we somewhere sunny? Was I _kidnapped_?

"Oh, well… I can't explain that myself. You have to wait until you talk to Chiron." My eyes only narrowed further, my head inclining as if to say, 'The fuck are you talking about?'

Her expression cleared a bit, "I- you'll meet him soon. Just trust me when I say this, try not to freak out when you find out. Everything will be just fine, I promise."

There was a cough from behind us, and Elena looked up to see Eric. Her nose wrinkled in distaste, but she nodded to him, and he stepped forward, in front of me. His arms were crossed, and his expression was something of skepticism. "You died in the crash, we're sure you weren't just unconscious. Nobody's sure how you came back with just one person, but it was something godly. It seems to be that your parent really likes you."

I kept silent, because I had no idea what he meant by parent, but my mind went to the dark cave and the haunting, yet familiar, voice.

"We healed you, for the most part. There aren't any broken bones or scratches on your face anymore. We might not be able to stop a few of those from scarring, though," he said, pointing to my torso. I grimaced.

Elena jumped forward, grabbing Eric by his arm and steering him out of the medical cabin. "You're freaking her out," she muttered lowly, obviously not meant for me to hear. I frowned a bit more, but made no sign of me knowing.

"Take her things to the Hermes cabin, I'll bring her to Chiron. _He'll_ make sure not to freak her out."

He muttered something in return as he walked out the door, but I turned away, tuning his low grumbling out as I picked at the cot's string. I just had to trust her, which was hard to do considering I had no knowledge of what was going on.

She walked over to me, sitting down next to me and twining her fingers together on her lap. "Things are going to sound really strange, but you just have to trust me when I say that it's all true."

"That what is all true?"

She only smiled at me, almost as if she were keeping some clever little secret, but also as if she didn't want me to know at all. There was a sadness in her eyes that I've never seen before nor could I quite place, but it was gone in an instant and she grabbed my arm, pulling me off of my cot and preventing me from seeing the look again.

"Ow, ow, Elena- _ow_," I muttered, rising to my feet and stumbling. "I just woke up, do we have to do this now? I feel icky-"

"-no you don't," she interrupted, "we gave you stuff for that. You feel fine."

I sighed, letting her pull me along, out of the medical area- thing and through another room. She let me slide into flip-flops before walking outside, onto a porch and around it to quite the pretty farmhouse. The Big House, something whispered in the back of my mind. Elena didn't show me around very much, but it all seemed very vague and familiar and I knew it was a camp before I even arrived. But it was an odd sort of camp, from what I barely saw, it was dangerous and there was no way sane parents would send their children anywhere near it.

Elena paused, pulling her fingers from my arm and murmured, "Wait here. I'll come and get you."

I gave her a nod, or rather a series of short bobs. I rocked on my heels as she quietly sneaked into the house through the wooden door that was unlocked, and although it seemed intimidating, the feel of the building and the camp itself was rather friendly. My hands were holding each other behind my back, and I was glancing around awkwardly.

It probably wasn't as long as I thought it was, but Elena came out a while later, a wide smile on her face as she peaked out of the slightly cracked door. Her eyes were bright and she quickly motioned for me to come inside. I jumped forward, the deck creaking under my feet as my fingers splaying across the side of the door and prying it open before it shut behind me.

The inside was much, much larger than it appeared to be from the outside, not that I got a good look in the first place. I didn't pay attention to the details as much as I wanted to because Elena was walking quickly and I didn't want to get lost, but I remember lots of white trim and pretty, sky-blue paint.

We walked through a few halls and then into a large room, a rec room by the looks of it. Several people, mostly teenagers, filled the room, as if it were some sort of meeting. However, they sat around a ping-pong table, some leaning on their elbows, others casually tilting their chairs back. It seemed to be a rather relaxed meeting, as though it were mandatory and they really didn't have much to talk about.

I suddenly felt cold, nerves clawing at me from the inside as I saw several gazes slide to Elena and me. "What's going on?" I whispered quietly to her. The low monotone that was rambling on before had ceased, and I gave a small wave, my fingers bending slightly as I tried not to act as though I had just woken up and was seriously confused.

I finally really looked at all of their faces, and surprisingly enough, they weren't all strangers. At the far and of the table was Mr. Brunner, sitting in his wheelchair at the end of the table. Sitting on his right was a guy, he was blonde, tan, and sat with his ankle on his knee, his arm wrapped around the beautiful brunette seated next to him. "Hi there, have a seat. You're new, aren't you? The other girl from the crash?"

My eyebrows shot up, and I turned back to Elena, who smiled and nodded, prodding at my back behind me as if to edge me along. I moved forward, nodding myself, grabbing a spare strawberry crate and perching myself on it. "Yes, that's me… does anyone know what happened to my car?"

There were several winces, a few grimaces, and a very sympathetic mood filling the air. The blonde's eyes flashed to another boy, who was around the same age with curly brown hair and a cheeky smile.

"It's pretty bad, completely totaled. I have no idea what you did to it, but you sure busted it up pretty good. Luckily for you, I'm better than the average mechanic. It'll take a while, but it should be even better than it was before." He leaned forward across the green game table, holding out a hand, "I'm Leo, by the way, some of Hephaestus."

I stared at it for a moment before hopping off of my crate, taking his calloused hand in mine and shaking it gently. "I'm Emilie, and thank you so much, that car is my baby."

"You've got taste."

"It was a gift, really. A birthday present."

"You must be rich."

At that I had to laugh. I shook my head, my hair spilling in front of my shoulders, "No, no. My aunt won it in a contest or something."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elena's own eyes narrow, her posture stiffening and her fists clenching. I ignored her, acting oblivious. Turning to Mr. Brunner, I said, "Now, I'm either really blind, or there's something you aren't telling me."

There were a few chuckles, and Mr. Brunner smiled at me, his eyes crinkling as he did. "There may be a thing or two I've been keeping, but you won't be in the dark much longer, Miss Reynolds. Elena, would you go bring Mr. D?"

I looked back at her just in time to see her eyes widen, her mouth gaping open. She was nervous, I realized, though I couldn't be sure why, I've never met the man, but it seems she has. "I'll go with you," said another boy, standing up.

"Thanks," I heard her mumble, their footsteps making quiet padding noises as they walked on the wooden floor. I stayed seated on my crate, even though it wasn't the most comfortable seat in the world. I didn't think anyone would appreciate it if I took his spot, especially after interrupting their meeting. But, I was fairly certain I was expected, though, because everyone let me barge in and seemed almost happy about it.

Perhaps they didn't get new people all that often.

I was shaken out of my thoughts by Mr. Brunner's booming voice, "Everyone can leave, now. Remember, clean your cabins, do your chores, and don't get into _too_ much trouble."

Everyone stood up, filing out of the room rather orderly. They were all mostly around my age, some even a bit older. A cabin meeting, Eric had said earlier… they must be the people in charge. I sighed, just wanting my questions to be answered.

I looked at my clasped hands in my lap, my thick hair falling forward. My ankles were crossed, but my knees were spread apart slightly. I was almost curled in on myself, but I felt nerves flutter through me, joined with the slightest twinge of fear. I didn't know these people, I didn't know where I was, why all of this was happening, but I knew I had to stick through it. All I had was Elena's trust, she knew all of this and she wouldn't put me in any trouble. I would just have to wait.

It was a few more moments until the door was slammed open, and I jumped, nearly slipping off of the red crate. I readjusted myself as "Mr.D" walked in, Elena following closely behind him. I heard the door softly close.

Tucking my hair behind my ear and out of my face, I looked up, instantly catching a familiar dark purple gaze. My eyes widened in the slightest, my heart pumping faster at the surprise. It was the guy from the asylum, only this time he was wearing an obnoxious, tight leopard print shirt, like he was from New Jersey or something.

I didn't say anything, however, as I looked to Mr. Brunner. There was something in Mr. D's gaze that frightened me, and I knew better than anything that at that moment, I had to keep our previous encounter quiet.

Elena grabbed my arm gently, helping me to my feet and pulling me to one of the fold-up chairs the surrounded the table. She sat next to me, Mr. Brunner still on the end, and Mr. D across from me. I purposely didn't look at him.

There was a tense moment of silence, as if nobody was quite sure what to say. Mr. Brunner folded his hands together and leaned forward, examining me for a moment, before saying the words, "What do you know of Greek gods?"

I found the question unnerving, because it was then when I realized that I was in farther than I wanted to be, that maybe my mother wasn't as crazy as they said. It was either that, or everyone else was insane, but I could see it in their eyes that that wasn't the case.

"Um… things," I said slowly, my eyes darting to see each of them. "The things you taught me, for one… and the basics. You know, Zeus, Hades, Dionysus…" I shrugged, ignoring the rumbling of thunder overhead.

"Dionysus?" the man across from me asked, an odd expression passing over his face.

My own eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I wondered why they were so serious. "Yeah, Dionysus," I said a bit harshly. "A Greek god, the thing you _asked me about_." Shifting in my seat for what seemed like the third time, I looked to Mr. Brunner, who was staring at me with almost-narrowed eyes. I shrugged, keeping myself from rolling my eyes or getting up and leaving, but there was an unbending confusion in them, and I saw his own soften slightly.

Mr. D scowled, but said nothing as Mr. Brunner nodded. "Yes, yes, of course…" There was another awkward silence, and I felt exasperated, because they said that they were going to tell me everything, but it seemed as though they were planning on saying nothing.

"My mother told me that… Greek gods are real." I tried starting the conversation up again, watching each of them closely for a reaction. There was a wince from Elena, and she was who I decided to pick at. She seemed easier to break.

"Elena… is there something you aren't telling me?"

She looked away from me when she spoke, her black hair shining in the light. "It's… there are a lot of things I'm not telling you, but the first is about your mother."

I felt a whole new wave of surprise and nausea sweep through my stomach. "What about her?"

"She's dead."

I fell silent. Stiff in my seat, I slowly turned my gaze to Mr. Brunner, who was looking at me sadly, and I couldn't help but react. I never knew her, nor did I really… like her after a while, but she was still my mother and I absolutely adored her when I was a child, that much I remember. That amount of love is hard to get rid of, it was only dimmed by the state she was in and her absence.

"That's impossible, how did it happen?" I demanded. I was so confused and impatient and I needed to know what was going on, and nobody was telling me a thing. "_Tell me._"

"Your mother was in a much more fragile state than her handlers realized," said Mr. Brunner. "After you visited her, she tried to break out of her confinement. She nearly made it out the door, but security managed to grab her and tazer her. They didn't realize that it would stop her heart completely, it seemed she's had a past of being electrocuted and she couldn't recover from it this time."

"Will there be a funeral?"

"Yes."

"But I can't go."

"I'm afraid not."

I closed my eyes and counted to ten before I asked another question, "What about my aunt? You can't seriously think she won't let me go—"

"Your aunt is fully aware of the situation, we had a satyr give her the details of your whereabouts and condition."

I leaned back slightly, "_What_? No, never mind tell me right now, was she right?" I looked to Elena, "Are Greek gods and monsters and all of that nonsense _real_? Or was I right to ruin my last chance to talk to her?"

She caught my eye and I wouldn't let her look away, not with the amount of seriousness in my tone and expression. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again after a few seconds. It was easy to tell she wanted to say something long and articulate, but she only managed a meek, "Yes. Yes, they're real." I sighed.

"Okay," I said, nodding as I tried to make sense of it all, "okay. Greek stuff is real, that means the gods then, right? Cool, okay, great. What does this all have to do with me?" I knew exactly what it had to do with me at this point, I didn't want it to be true, but it had to be. I needed to hear them say it, just to confirm it all, so I could wrap my head around everything and try to accept it.

"You are the child of a god, Miss Reynolds," said Mr. Brunner. His tone was careful and cautious, watching me as if I were about to break. I only nodded, standing up and stretching again.

"I think I've heard enough for one day, Mr. Brunner—"

"-Chiron," he interrupted.

I gave him a blank look, "Well, _Chiron_, I've heard enough. Elena, could you… um…" I looked at her, silently asking her to help me out. I couldn't do all of this alone, and she's only been a little up to this point.

"C'mon," she said, down-casting her eyes and looping her arm around mine, pulling me along and out the door. The instant we were on the porch and out of the house, I felt instantly better. I felt less stuffy and less boxed in. The summer air felt good on my clammy skin, but the shadow of an apple tree Elena brought us to was even better. She and I sat on its giant roots, and one of the satyrs sneaked us two apples to munch on. He seemed almost frightened of us, although I was fairly certain it was her, but she told me they were like that with practically everyone.

Either way, I liked apples, they were crisp and fresh, and eating one soothed my stomach further. After a moment of chewing, Elena said, "It's not as bad as you think, you know."

"It's not normal."

"When is anything really _normal_?" She turned to me, her blue eyes in front of mine as she peered at me, one hand gripping my shoulder, though her fingers were gentle. "Listen to me. Everything will be fine. We'll find out who are godly parents are, train like everyone else, and go to school in the fall. It's a bit of a shock now, but it'll definitely wear off."

"What about my mom?"

Elena's dark eyebrows scrunched together, her gaze turning sad as she looked at me. "Chiron was right. You can't go, it's just… it's too dangerous out there for you right now. For the both of us, and until we can figure out why a Kindly One attacked us at the school…"

I didn't ask about the Fury, because I wasn't sure what it wanted, either. "How long does it… take to find out who our godly parent is?"

She moved back from me, removing her hands from my shoulders and leaning back on the mocha-brown bark of the tree. "To get claimed? We should have been claimed a few years ago, but we were never taken into camp. That's why Chiron came to our school, he thinks there may be something with us that isn't ordinary, especially in demigod standards. But for now, we just have to sit and wait."

I hummed as an answer, taking another bite of the red fruit in my hand. The breeze picked up again, the smell of strawberries and freshly mowed grass becoming prominent. The sun was bright, and a soft music filled my ears, the sound of pipes.

"Who's Mr. D?" I asked after a little while, side-glancing at Elena. It was more than a coincidence to be seeing him again.

I could tell that she was trying her hardest not to smile, but when she peeked at me, she broke out into a grin. "He's our camp director… and a god."

"A god?" I asked. "What's a god doing here?"

She quirked her lips, shrugging slightly, "He's grounded or something, a few years back he wanted a woman he couldn't have and his father grounded him for it. Apparently he's even grumpier now than he was before, one of the Aphrodite girls told me that his wife divorced him a little while ago."

"'Divorced'?" I echoed, "'Aphrodite girls?' Elena, I'm very, very new to all of this, please explain in _English_."

She rolled her eyes at me. It seemed that her mood improved as soon as we were outside, as well. "Demigods, once they're claimed, are sorted into cabins based on their parents. The Aphrodite Cabin, the Hecate Cabin, all sorts of different gods and goddesses. Unclaimed kids stay in the Hermes Cabin, which is where I'm at. You'll be joining us. We get beds because we're the oldest of the unclaimed kids, all of them are under thirteen. Something about some kid named Percy, I dunno. He's not here right now, he's off at some Roman camp or something, smoothing things over with some woman named Julia." I opened my mouth to interrupt, but she just held her hand up to stop me.

"Now, apparently he, Mr. D, was married to some mortal thousands of years ago, but I guess she just got tired of his cheating. Plus, she only gets to see him once or twice a year, I think, so she ended it."

"A mortal? How is she still alive?"

She shrugged again, "I think she was enchanted with immortality, but now that they're divorced, I think the enchantments wore off and she's just living a normal life. Nobody really knows, that's just the most popular rumor. But he's turned two kids into shrubs this month, and that's _his good mood_."

"Huh," I said quietly, setting the apple core down on the ground gently. One of the satyrs started playing his pipes a few feet from us, and the tree's roots swallowed the apple core like a venus-fly-trap would eat a fly. I shifted away from the roots, standing up and pulling Elena with me. I didn't want to be tree food.

She said she wanted to show me around, so we walked and talked. I would pause our conversation to point at something, ask about it, and she would try her best to answer. She was still new, too, and she didn't know the answers to everything. We both had a lot to learn.

"You never asked, you know."

"Asked what?"

"Which god he is."

I blinked at her, letting her go on, and she just grinned wider, "D is for Dionysus."

"Oh," I said slowly, nodding slightly. That made a surprising amount of sense. "But… the party god got _grounded?_"

She laughed, and though I was completely serious, I did too. We ended up swinging by the arena as we talked some more, getting antsy with just sitting down. The inside of the arena was impressive. At the bottom there were a few kids fighting with swords and shields. It seemed to be hard work, but they looked like they were enjoying themselves. "Maybe this place isn't too bad… it would explain a lot of the weird shit happening in our lives, eh?"

She nodded at me, sitting down in one of the seats to watch. I followed her motions, sitting next to her. We talked for a long while, leaving only when it was time for dinner. It was darkening slightly, the sky pretty shades of blue and purple, the sun still shining, but setting on the horizon.

We squeezed into the Hermes table, me nearly sitting in her lap. The food was delicious, and I didn't find the sacrificing of some of it all too strange. I gave mine to Hermes, thanking him for his generosity. I was beginning to adjust, muttering for Sprite to fill my glass when I was seated once more.

After dinner was a sing-along, but I wanted to wash my hands after dinner, so I told Elena to go on without me. Usually we would go together, but I saw that she was aching to get us good seats, so I didn't try to stop her.

The water was freezing, and I hated to think how the showers would be, but I would worry about it in the morning. I almost got lost on the way to the sing-along, but managed to find my way as one of the last few. I felt so safe at the camp, it was more than a small surprise when I was grabbed from behind, a hand covering my mouth, preventing me from screaming, not that I could. It all happened so quickly.

It was a man, I could tell that at least. I couldn't tell much about him other than that, because I was struggling and trying my hardest to breathe. It wasn't until we were a little ways into the dense forest did he release me. I was gasping for air, ready to scream or make a run for it or _something_ when I heard him mutter, "Keep quiet!"

The bitter voice was very familiar, so I did as I was told, out of fear, but also out of shock. A bit of moonlight made its way through the trees and leaves, and if I squinted, I could see it shine just a bit off of dark curls and pale flesh. "Mr. D?" I whispered, my eyebrows pulling forward in confusion. "Why are you kidnapping me?"

He snorted, his hands dropping to his sides. I knew better to run, because running from a god was practically pointless and one of the stupidest things a person could do.

"I'm not kidnapping you," he muttered, "now listen. For the sake of everyone at this camp, especially _you_, you cannot tell anyone of where you first saw me, do you understand?"

"You mean the hospital?"

He let out an irritated sigh, "Yes, the hospital. What I was doing there was very important, and _secretive_. Nobody was supposed to find out."

"Why don't you just kill me then, if you're so worried?" I asked, then realized what I said, and quickly blurted, "I mean, I won't tell anyone, _sir_. I promise. But-I…"

"I'm not… allowed to murder campers, and it would seem suspicious to kill you for no reason."

"Didn't you turn a few kids into shrubs?"

He let out a sigh, rolling his eyes, "That was _different_. And I eventually turned them back.

I nodded, watching him and moving backwards, my movements hesitant. "Can I go now?" He waved his hand, dismissing me, and it was when he was out of sight that I started to run. He took us on some sort of path, but it was a good fifteen minutes before I managed to get to Elena. I was good with forests, they were very general, but I didn't know my way around the camp very well yet.

The sing-along was fun, when I finally showed up, Elena didn't ask what took me so long. I was sure it was because she thought I got lost, which was mostly the case. I never mentioned the thing with Mr. D, because as long as I left him alone, he would leave me alone, and that seemed like a good deal.


	3. I Kick Some Twelve Year Olds In the Face

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the PJO series

* * *

The air was humid, the leaves on the trees greener, and though the seasons had changed and several months had passed, Camp Half-Blood had generally stayed the same. The pleasant weather was due to the preference of Mr. D, the magic of the gods protecting camp from anything harsh or unwanted. Major storms usually went around or just skipped overhead, sort of like two magnets repelling. I overheard the satyrs saying, once, that Mr. D would be seriously pissed if his strawberries were killed, despite his best attempts to show that he didn't care one bit about them.

Time both seemed to pass both quickly and slowly at camp. Training was tiring and classes were fun, but it was nerve-wrecking, waiting to be claimed. There was definitely something off about Elena and me, even though nobody voiced it. Everyone else was claimed at thirteen because of the famous demigod Percy Jackson, but she and I were sixteen and we were still parentless.

I had never met Percy Jackson, but I'd seen him around camp before. His green eyes were oddly familiar, and he seemed nice enough, but I tended to stick to the sidelines when he was around. He attracted far too much attention in a fight than I could probably handle—even the swords at camp seemed heavy in my hands, never the balanced weapons I needed them to be. The armor was almost too much to handle, so I usually sneaked off with only the minimum on during events. A breast plate and my sword if I was lucky, I could get away without a helmet or a shield if I slipped into the crowd. Even if I was caught, nobody would force me into anything I couldn't handle.

"Emilie!" a soft, feminine voice called out. I blinked, my vision slightly hazy and my mind muddled from sleep. I could tell it was bark beneath my head, although my thick hair acted as a pillow, cushioning the hardness of it. I sat up, catching sight of my friend Lou Ellen. She was nice enough, one of the few female friends I had. I'd always admired her tricks with magic.

"Can't you see that I'm taking a nap?" I said roughly. There was no harshness in my tone, only slight teasing. She smiled.

"One might think you were a daughter of Hypnos… that is, if you didn't stay up all night."

"I don't… stay up _all _night," I offered offhandedly, wiping dirt of my dark jean shorts. Nobody would notice.

Her laugh was light, very mischievous. If you didn't know already, she was someone you should look out for, like a child of Hermes, or maybe even Ares. "Yeah, yeah. But anyway, Elena is looking for you. I saw you on my way to the stables so I thought I'd help her out—she's at the arena. Something about sword practice?"

My eyes narrowed, "She thinks I need to train a bit more. It's not my fault I'm not any good with swords. Or bows. Or knives."

Her thin fingers clasped my shoulder, "Perhaps you haven't found the right weapon, yet. All of that bronze and gold is pretty heavy, I can barely even lift any of it. I usually leave that for guys like Percy, Jason, or the Ares kids. They snatch it up fairly quickly."

I nodded, my eyes scanning over the area surrounding us. A few kids were walking around, but most were in class at the moment. I was in my free period, and since my nightmares had kept me up the night before, I had taken it upon myself to catch up on my lost sleep. I was pale enough, dark circles under my eyes would look even worse than on one of the normal-looking kids.

Well, if you could call us normal.

I gave Lou a brief goodbye with a wave and a smile, bending over to tighten the ties on my sandals. I was used to wearing Converse, but it was cool out and the shoes were in style with the Aphrodite girls. Theirs were enchanted not to loosen, of course, but I didn't mind all that much.

As I finished the knot on my right ankle, I realized I had forgotten my jacket by the tree. It was warm, and I often didn't wear it, but sometimes the sun became too much and I needed the hood.

I jumped up, spinning on my toes, quickly moving forward. I managed to run straight into someone, although I swayed slightly so I pinned them in the shoulder with my forehead. Stumbling backward, I swore in ancient Greek, a string of words I wasn't even I aware I had learned. Rubbing my bruising skin with the palm of my hand, I looked up, and suddenly the breath left my lungs, my blood going cold.

Mr. D stared down at me, and though he looked slightly amused, I was more than a little terrified. The last time we had talked was when he pulled me aside and practically threatened my life, blackmailing me into keeping his whereabouts hidden from everyone. I kept his secret, of course, I wasn't stupid or suicidal, but looking him straight in the eye was completely different than avoiding him in the Big House and pretending he didn't exist at dinner.

I blinked a couple of times, trying to look away from the blazing purple fire in his eyes. I moved to the side, but he followed, and I forced in a deep breath through my nose. Stopping again, I lifted my hands, awkwardly trying to show him which way I was going to go without actually talking.

With a raised eyebrow, he stepped to the side, and I trudged forward with my head down, staring at the slightly muddy ground. Behind me, he called out, "Are you going to apologize?"

Stopping in my tracks, I turned around to look at him, and I knew the expression on my face was a bit incredulous. "I-.. I'm _sorry_?"

"There we go."

"No, I mean—I take it back," I blurted, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them. I wasn't apologizing; it was just another form of asking what the hell he just said. I didn't even know what he wanted me to apologize for. Sure, I ran into him, but he appeared out of nowhere. I hadn't even heard him coming, and I was very good at those kinds of things. Maybe it was something that gods did. Hades was certainly one of those known for being silent.

"You can't take it back," he told me, looking at me like I was crazy, although he would certainly know if I was or not.

"But I just did."

"But you _can't_," he stressed.

I looked around, catching a couple pairs of eyes watching us. Looking back at him, I gave him a nervous smile, backing away slightly. "All right, you're right, I'm sorry. But I've really got to, um, go." I didn't want to argue with him, although it was a tempting idea. I knew better than to test him, it wasn't just a rumor going around camp about how he turned campers into shrubs. I've seen it happen. Twice.

I straggled for a second longer, catching his gaze again once more before turning my head away completely, twisting around him and sprinting back to the tree without looking back. I didn't even stop when I arrived, only swooping down to grab my jacket, rushing off to the arena.

-xxx-

Elena didn't make me as tired as she usually would have during practice, since I needed my energy for capture the flag. The Hermes cabin was on the blue team, as we usually were, with Ares and company on the red team. Camp Half-Blood was fairly regular, as not much changed unless it had to do with rumors, monsters, or gods, and even then it was a bit rare.

Although we were separated, the lessons Elena gave me would help me last much longer than last time. There was no way I could defend myself against one of the Ares kids, or Hephaestus, but I was small and quick even if I was clumsy.

Crouching behind a thick set of bushes, I peeked at the mostly-still field, staying hidden until the horn went off. Even though I couldn't really afford it, I didn't have much armor on, wearing a breast plate, and carrying a heavy, almost lopsided sword in my right hand. I was crouched in the dirt, but I didn't mind. Everyone would jump and start slashing at each other as soon as they could, and I could hopefully avoid some of the first conflicts.

I locked eyes with a pair of deep, navy blue ones in the bushes opposite of me. They were like the sky, and very familiar, as several children of Nyx shared them.

I held my breath for a moment longer. The entire forest was eerily silent, the calm before the storm. Up above, twilight was beginning to set in, and I could almost sense how anxious everyone was becoming, despite not being able to see them. We were all ready to start, and it was almost as if Mr. D was purposely making us wait.

The horn going off made me jump, making a few twigs tangle in my hair, and I was lucky I didn't have to move yet. I was very good at hiding because I was small and my dark hair blended into the shadows, very much unlike some Apollo kids, who seemed to glow even at midnight.

Although I was excellent at hiding, I wasn't very good at being patient. A few minutes felt like ages, and by the time I decided it was time to leave my hiding place, I was jittery with anticipation and perhaps a bit of nerves. Clutching my sword to the point where my knuckles were even whiter than I thought possible, I charged, slashing and kicking and hitting any opponent I stumbled upon. At one point, I was sure I bit someone, though I only realized it after my mouth tasted of coppery blood.

The majority of the campers I overpowered were first-year twelve year olds. They weren't too badly hurt, seeing as they were about my size. Demigods, no matter the age, are fairly tough. I enjoyed myself, however, because they were just as inexperienced as I was, though I still had power over them because I was older. It was the sort of dictatorship most older siblings had, or so I was told.

A particularly large Ares boy was approaching me, a smaller boy behind him, clutching his bloody nose. I backed up slightly, glancing behind me to see if there was anyone else he was looking at. There wasn't.

I raised my sword, shifting my stance to better defend myself, though when the larger, longer blade came close to me, I flinched. I didn't realize I wasn't hurt until there was another clash of blades, and the kid wasn't fighting me.

With wide eyes, I looked to my side to see Percy Jackson, though only recognizable from his messy mop of hair under his helmet and the infamous bronze sword in his hand. He had a smug grin on his lips, and seemed to be enjoying himself. He made my mediocre skills seem like shit. Well, they_ were_ shit, he just emphasized that.

I blinked, stepping backwards to give him space and not seem like I was just standing there gaping at him. When he won, which was to be expected, he looked back towards me, giving me a nod and moving along. I jumped forward, shouting a "Thank you!" that he acknowledged by a small wave, though he didn't turn to look at me. I had a sneaking suspicion that he was just enjoying himself, not even worried despite it being an incredibly dangerous game.

Sneaking through the shadows of trees to avoid being in the way of other kids fighting, I made my way to the lake, where I saw Elena run off to. Perhaps she'd let me join her, though she told me not to. She even went through the trouble of partnering with someone just so I wouldn't end up getting her killed. I was very accident prone.

When I reached the end of the forest, I sprinted, ducking below and behind several people, and trying to stay out of the sight of others.

Elena was, when I first caught sight of her, battling a girl much larger than her, but she seemed to be in control of the situation. Her sword fighting was better than some of the camp's, unlike mine, although her opponent had a spear.

My eyes widened when I realized whose spear it was. Electricity sparked at the top of it, its hander shoving it to Elena's armor. Clarisse, daughter of Ares, was one scary opponent, and I was lucky to have never fallen from her good graces. I had no idea how Elena had gotten on her bad side, although one incident at the mess hall may have been it.

I skirted around the tree, closer to the lake. I only came into conflict once, and I handled it fairly well. When I looked back to see how Elena was handling things, I saw that Clarisse had hold of her armor, gripping the chink of it, muttering something. Then she let go, shocking her with the tip and pushing her back into the water. I ran forward without even thinking about it, up to the end of the lake, peering into it, but I couldn't see her.

Diving in myself would have been suicide, as I could barely manage to move around with the breastplate on, and untying it would have taken me ages. I usually had Elena do it for me.

Reeling around, I stared at Clarisse, "What in your _right mind_ made you do that? Go get her!" My voice was squeaky and unthreatening, cracking halfway through.

Clarisse put her hands up, and if she hadn't been gripping a shield and spear, I was sure she would have had her palms out as if in surrender. Not giving in, but meaning no harm. "Hey, I just zapped her, she tripped and fell in."

"Get. Her. Out," I growled. By this point, people were starting to crowd around. Chiron and Mr. D were on their way, too.

"In all of this?" she gestured to her full armor, "No way I'm doing that, can't she swim?"

"She's in full armor, too! And when have you _ever_ seen that girl set foot into water? If you didn't want to dive in you shouldn't have pushed her!" I looked into the lake but still, nothing. There was no sight of Percy, either. I was becoming jittery, again, although this time with panic.

"Listen, kid, I just zapped her."

I took in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Just go in and get her, if she drowns it's her blood on your hands."

"It's really not. Why don't you get her?"

"Because I can't untie my stupid fucking armor without her help!" My voice raised again, my vision blurring slightly. I was crying, just a bit, though I wasn't sure if it was out of fear or frustration or both. I'm sure several doctors could say I was on my way to being codependent.

I surged forward, catching her off guard by slipping behind her shield and by her spear, grabbing her by her helmet and pulling her head down. _I_ was caught off guard when my hand caught the flesh of her neck, because although her skin was warm, it flashed cold. It was like my hand touched ice, and when I snatched it back, a silvery aura pulled with it. I screamed as Clarisse dropped to her knees, then onto her face.

Hands gripped my upper arms, and I jumped, looking up to see Chiron. His eyes weren't on my face, but above my head, where a black skull floated. If I could go even more cold, I did, ice surging through my veins as I stared upwards with wide eyes.

A few people moved to the side as Mr. D came through. Chiron let me go, moving aside to let his friend and fellow immortal join him.

"I…" no words came to my mouth to defend myself, I could only say, "Elena is still in the water. She pushed her."

"So you killed her?" asked Mr. D. I swallowed.

"It's not like I meant to."

Not many people were watching, there were still a bunch fighting, trying to win the game. Others were whispering, chatting among each other. Through the trees came Percy and one of the girls from the Hypnos cabin. Nobody was quite sure what was going on, although they knew better than to get too close to Mr. D and Chiron during a capture the flag game.

"Oh well. Ares will not be pleased," he said with a sigh.

"You aren't mad? But I still… killed her. Maybe I can…" I found it hard to breathe, moving backwards and dropping down on my knees near Clarisse. If her siblings didn't kill me, her father would. I didn't mean to kill her, I didn't want her to die, I wanted her to stop being so overpowering and to go get Elena so she didn't die.

My fingers hovered over her cheek. Chiron and Mr. D blocked anyone from seeing, other campers must have thought I knocked her out, but they were much older and much wiser, knowing a dead body when they saw one.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and praying to practically anything, other than Ares himself, as long as she didn't stay dead. I pressed my palm to her cheek, and instantly, blood spread through her cheeks, her eyes popping open and a gasp coming from her lips. It was almost like that TV show 'Pushing Up Daisies'. I scrambled backwards, not wanting to touch, or see, her ever again.

Chiron pulled me up, gripping my forearm, and Clarisse stood by herself, as though she hadn't just dropped dead. Maybe she didn't, maybe it was some sort of new power, making it seem like she was just playing dead. It was a better alternative, anything was a better alternative. Death, being a daughter of Hades, it was a _curse_.

"She's all right!" I called out shakily, and though several people didn't see any and many didn't stop fighting, there were a few breathes of relief. I shook my arm out of Chiron's hold, not looking at his eyes as he and Mr. D moved away from Clarisse. A few of her siblings, friends, and Apollo kids made their way to her side.

They wouldn't have normally go to her in a game of capture the flag, but if Chiron and Mr. D came onto the field, then people knew something had gone terribly wrong.

I backed away a few feet, but kept watch, almost as if I couldn't pull my eyes away from the scene. I wanted to make sure that she really was all right, and it wasn't just a temporary thing. I wasn't even sure what I did, and why I was claimed at that exact time. It was all so confusing and I realized, even if it was incredibly brief, that things would get much harder and much more complicated from that point onward.

Chiron and Mr. D shooed the people surrounding Clarisse away, speaking to her with low voices that I wouldn't be able to hear, even if the buzzing in my head stopped.

The three of them looked to me, and I felt another wave of cold and panic wash through me, my eyes growing wide and my palms sweaty. Mr. D stood up, making his way over to me and I couldn't help but stumble backwards.

He looked dour, and a bit annoyed, but he didn't look as though he wanted to rip me apart limb by limb and I figured that was better than the alternative. "Chiron has just informed me that I _must_ tell you that you are not to kill other demigods, blah blah. Oh, and that you are _not_ to be punished for your inability to control yourself."

I wasn't quite sure what to say, but I was fairly certain Chiron would have told me himself, and in much nicer words. "My '_inability to control myself_''? It was an accident."

"You still weren't able to control yourself—"

"That wasn't—"

There were several gasps, Percy's stupid, "Whoa," echoing through the trees and across the water. All eyes were turned to the lake, where Elena was wadding her way out of the water, completely dry and alive and a green trident over her head, slowly rotating clockwise.

I saw Elena look to me, so I raised an eyebrow, winking at her, trying not to show the feeling of dread that was building up. When she looked away, I let my amused expression drop.

It fit Elena, oddly enough. Her eyes were bright green and she had Percy's dark hair, though I never would have guessed before that moment, due to her slight phobia of water. It was also terrifying, because another child of the Big Three was one thing, but _two_? Someone was going to be in trouble, and the gods rarely punish themselves. I was worried about what was going to happen to us.

Percy had a slight grin on his face, stepping into the water and offering his hand to Elena, also completely dry. He whispered something in her ear, and a confused look crossed her face, but she didn't look very upset and she barely had any reason to. Percy Jackson was one of the best people out there, and he would probably be an incredibly good brother.

"_Another_ one?" Mr. D asked from beside me. I turned to look at him, my eyebrows furrowing, my expression almost a scowl.

"How bad is this?" I asked, my head turned to him though he wasn't looking at me. He was staring at Elena, Chiron slowly making his way over to her through the crowd that was forming around them. Mr. D and I were in the outskirts of it, barely looked at, despite me being claimed as well.

"Very bad."

"Oh. Great."

Percy gave Elena a bright grin as he led her out of the water, then he let go of her hand, shouting something over his shoulder as he an off. It looked as though he was on a quest to do something important, but Elena didn't seem to mind. She was already demanding to know what was going on.

"You were just claimed as a child of Poseidon," Chiron said eventually, "and your friend, Emilie, was claimed as a child of Hades in the confusion a few minutes ago."

"Really? Why did they take so long to claim us? Didn't Percy- my brother- say they had to claim us?" We should have been claimed three years ago, in camp by the age of thirteen, not sixteen.

"Well, it might have been the reluctance to say they had broken their vows twice… and your weariness toward water may have played a part in it."

"Oh," she said quietly.

Chiron wrapped the game up, the blue team winning, though it didn't feel like it mattered. The cut in my thigh was beginning to burn, every time I stepped on it I had to stop from hissing. Ten steps and I was already tired of walking, falling against a tree and breathing in a deep breath. It wasn't that deep of a cut, but the entire fiasco of the capture the flag game was draining.

I heard Elena before I saw her, a twig crunching under her heel as she squatted down next to me. "Hey, heard your dad is the king of dead people."

I couldn't help but smile, though it faltered when I tried to get up. "And I guess your dad wasn't trying to kill you all these years."

"No, that was my mom."

There was a pause, and then I asked, "So, are you going to help me up, or should I call over the Apollo cabin? They're always looking for someone to fix."

-xxx-

Elena only helped me most of the way to the Big House. The instant she saw Clarisse she left me to fend for myself, catching sight of Lou and running off to the sing-along.

I walked up the stairs, which was easier because they were flat rather than covered in roots and grass and leaves like the tree I was at a few minutes before. I avoided Clarisse's eyes, though it seemed as though she was staring right through me. I hurried into the Big House, even though I technically wasn't allowed inside. Behind me, I shut the door.

Mr. D looked up from his book on poker, blinking once before leaning to the side, peering behind me. Not seeing anything or anyone else, he went back to his original position, book resting on the table he was sitting at. "What are you doing here?"

"I hurt my leg and Clarisse scares me."

"You _killed_ her."

"She still scares me."

I sat down on one of the couches, and he looked at me for a moment longer before going back to his book, pretending I didn't exist.

My eyes closed and I tried listening for when Clarisse left, but it seemed as though her boyfriend, Chris, insisted that she stayed for the night. By the time she actually left, I would have bled out completely on the couch.

"Mr. D?" I asked, turning on my side to look at him, my chin resting on the arm of the couch. He didn't answer me, and made no inclination that he heard me. I asked again, louder, but I had no response other than him turning his back to me.

I was silent for another minute or two, before saying, "So… who's being un_raisin_able now?" Grape puns weren't below me, I could use them with a straight face and still have my dignity intact.

Mr. D turned around sharply, a few of his curls swinging as he did. He didn't say anything, just glared at me, his eyes the bright purple they usually were. I blinked, then shifted my position and leaned forward, glaring at him in return, though I really didn't mean it. It was long enough, maybe a minute, because he suddenly turned away, slamming his book down on the table and saying, "_Fine_! Fine. What do you want?"

"Can you have one of the Apollo kids fix me in here? I don't want to see, or hear, or be near _that person_ outside."

He stood up, the chair he was sitting in sliding backwards with a loud scraping noise, and though it teetered, it didn't fall over. His book was still on the table, several pages folded and a few corners bent.

The door swung open and he stormed out of it. There was some arguing outside, but a small Apollo girl named Kayla ran inside, her eyes narrowed, and some supplies in her hands. She let it fall onto the coffee table by the couch I was sitting on, and then turned to me, pushing a stray strand of blonde back behind her ear.

"Mr. D isn't very happy right now," she said grumpily, gripping my shoulders and pulling me up from my semi-laying position, then forcefully sitting me down with my back straight.

"Do you not like him, then?" I asked, my hands tightening into fists as she shifted my leg rather harshly.

"No. I don't."

"_Okay_ then."

Kayla fixed my leg in a matter of minutes, advising me not to play capture the flag next week. Her hands felt hot, but that was to be expected, with her father.

With my leg wrapped up, I walked back to the Hermes cabin easily. Everyone was still at the sing-along, and I was glad I didn't go. I didn't want them to demand why I was still there, and I didn't want their stares as I gathered the things off my bed and cubby.

The Hades cabin was different than I thought it would be. The walls were a glossy black, the floors made of hard, and clean, blackwood. There wasn't a cobweb in sight, nor any dust. The furniture was made of obsidian and glass, white and red accenting some of the desks and other things farther back in the cabin. Most of the lights were off, and I had the feeling it was much larger than what originally met the eye. There were only four beds, but Nico was the only known Hades kid before me, and he was hardly ever there.

It wasn't homey, it was cold and dark and desolate, eerie heard during the middle of the night. Mortals would have said it was the air conditioning, but magic cabins didn't have one. The Hermes cabin had friendly people who would comfort you if there were bad dreams, I didn't get the option anymore.

My nightmare wasn't worth remembering. It wasn't anything unusual, in demigod standards, anyway. No visions, no secret prophecies, just dark and slightly disturbing blurs. The cabin itself emitted a terrible feeling, making a cold lump rest in my throat.

It didn't pass, the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I woke up early, the sky still dark and the stars still shining. I didn't leave the cabin, only creaking the front door open slightly to see what time it was. I didn't have much with me, I always looked over on someone else's clock in the Hermes cabin. It was only around two or three, from what I could tell of the position of the moon.

I walked back to my bed, my bare feet padding against the wood. The sheets were silk and smooth against my skin, but it didn't improve my mood. I stared at the ceiling, at the different angular elevations of it, and fell asleep an hour later.

I had another nightmare, but when morning came along, it was long forgotten.


	4. My Activities Director Directs Me

"This isn't going to work," Elena whispered harshly in my ear. We were walking side by side, our shoes clicking against the pavement of the sidewalk. My heels were a few inches taller than hers, but I still managed to be staring directly at her chin.

"You have to have faith in the plan," I told her calmly, my fingers wrapped tightly around my bright red clutch. It matched my nails, going with my black dress. I felt the chill of the wind as it picked up. My dress was one of the sluttier ones borrowed from the Aphrodite cabin, as was Elena's, and though she had no sleeves, I had no back.

"What plan? _You haven't told me anything._"

"_The_ plan, Elena. Have faith, I've got this." I gave her a smile I hoped was assuring, and patted her arm, slipping away from her and to the bouncer who was standing in front of the door to the club. He was really tall, at least a foot above me, and was staring straight ahead with a blank expression on his face. I faked a cough to get his attention.

He raised an eyebrow when he looked down at me. I couldn't see his eyes through his dark sunglasses, but I opened my clutch and pulled out a shiny VIP card. He took the small piece of plastic into his large fingers, looked at me once, twice, at the card again, at me once more…

"How do you know my client?"

I gave him a crooked smile, "We're cousins. If there's any problem, I could call him up right now, if you'd let me borrow your cell phone…"

"That isn't necessary," he said quickly, then looked back to Elena, who was standing in her sparkling silver-blue dress. "Is she with you?"

"Yes, she's my sister."

"You don't look alike."

"Different dads."

He nodded, and though he didn't look quite convinced, he stepped aside and let me though. I beckoned Elena over with my finger, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning, and she looked slightly incredulous but followed me into the club. Her fingers gripped my elbow, keeping hold of me so we wouldn't lose each other in the crowd.

Elena and I had managed to sneak out of camp via the Hermes cabin. The Aphrodite cabin was pleasant when we asked to borrow a dress, and though they didn't ask what they were for, I had a feeling they knew where we were going, because they gave us some of the more risque dresses in their closet. Elena's was flashy and gorgeous and sure to draw some lucky guy's attention, whereas mine was the usual little black dress, although it still held some unusual charm.

The club itself was one of the most popular in all of New York- it was large, with several rooms branching off and circling on a large, lighted platform. The line circled around the building, continuing for several blocks. I was able to manipulate the Mist in the slightest, just so no one would throw a fit as we cut several hundred people in line, but other than that I couldn't do much else with it.

The music was incredibly overbearing. The beats of the remixes were practically the only thing I could hear, all vocals or any other sound completely past me. I swayed slightly, but still smiled and led Elena along. The room was dark, bright blue and purple lights flashing and bouncing against the walls. People danced in waves, taking up the center of the floor. In the far corner, there was a bar slightly sectioned off, regular amber lights shining over it and water bottles sparkling off of the counter, ready to hydrate the crowd, which was either tired or drunk.

I was taken aback by it all. Neither Elena or I had ever really gotten out much- it was always talk but no action with us. We had always planned going to a fancy, VIP night club, but it was usually just our imaginations.

My grip on Elena's hand tightened as I scrambled backward. I stared, wide-eyed, at a man who walked straight past me. I recognized his face, his high cheekbones and floppy hair and I almost lost my breath. He was famous, incredibly famous, and walked so close to me that I could smell his cologne, and it seemed like it was practically nothing.

"I-um- I've got to go," I told her quietly, slipping from her grip. I wasn't quite sure she heard me, but I ducked through a large clump of dancing bodies, trying my best to catch up with a man who didn't even know I existed. Well, he _would_ if I had anything to say about it.

I heard her call out my name far behind me, but I tried my hardest to catch the sleeve of his expensive suit. It was odd, for him, from what I could remember about his fashion sense, but it didn't matter. He ended up getting swarmed by girls, and was saved by a beautiful redhead with a warm smile and sparkling eyes. I could tell he only had eyes for her, but still, I ended up calling out, though it wasn't as loud as I thought it was,"Wait! Come back nice man!"

Thick fingers gripped my elbow, spinning me around a bit ungracefully. A rough voice filled my ear, air hot and moist and incredibly uncomfortable, "I'm a nice man."

I struggled, saying, "Not if you keep doing _that_."

The instant the words left my mouth, the fingers around me arm loosened, and the guy behind me backed up, apologizing. "Sorry," he said quickly, "I thought I was being cool. I guess not. Sorry. Sorry."

Blinking, I shook my head, barely noticing my long hair tickling my back. "It's fine, I guess."

The lights flashed again, and I caught a glimpse of his face. He was cute, I supposed, with messy, dirty-blonde hair and a sharp face. His eyes were dark but seemed friendly enough, so I smiled at him, flashing my teeth. "I'm Emilie."

He offered me his hand, and I took it, looking up at him. He was much taller than I was and practically towered over me, "I'm Dave."He opened his mouth to say something else, but the music changed and began to blast even louder, and even with my good hearing, listening to him would have been practically impossible.

He stuck out his thumb and motioned behind his shoulder, signaling for us to find a quieter place near the bar. I nodded, smiling slightly as he led us both through the crowd and to the tall black barstools. I had a bit of trouble getting on while trying to look cool, but his head turned away a second before I almost fell on my face, so he didn't notice. Perfect.

We spoke for a few minutes about absolutely nothing. It wasn't quite small talk, the weather was, luckily, not brought up, but the air was still tense between us. I knew he sensed it, because he gave me a smile, asking, "What sort of drink do you like?"

I blinked, and it seemed as though all past knowledge of drinks vanished from my mind completely. "Anything, really."

He nodded, calling the bartender over and ordering a"watermelontini." I didn't even know they existed until he ordered it, and even then, I was still unconvinced. My knowledge of drinks came exclusivly from James Bond movies, and he made the order more confusing than my math homework.

The bartender was a man in his thirties who looked more than a little out of it, which I assumed was due to long hours. He placed my drink in front of Dave, and he slid it over to me, nodding at me slightly. Something prickled at the back of my neck, some sort of instinct, but I assumed it was due to the fact that I felt slightly pressured to drink it.

Shaking my head as if to clear my paranoid thoughts, I moved to grab the glass. I wasn't pressured, I was being silly, and a kid. It was perfectly normal for a guy to buy a girl a drink- it happened all the time.

Before my fingertips could even touch the condensation that was forming on the glass, long fingers covered the top, preventing me from grabbing it and sliding it even further down the bar and out of my reach.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice was casual, low and male, and undoubtedly familiar. I swallowed nervously.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Dave asked from my side, his tone irritated and his gaze accusing. I looked from him back to Mr. D, who had appaeared in the chair next to me, looking a bit amused.

"I'm her, 'activities director'," he said, using air quotes with his fingers.

"Why did you quote that?" I demanded, looking between the two of them, but they both ignored me. My eyes narrowed slightly.

Dave seemed to accept that, for some gods forsaken reason, and nodded at Mr. D. He got up from his chair and walked off, despite my eyes widening and my calling out his name. He gave me a grin over his shoulder, but shook his head as if he knew coming back over was a bad idea. I sunk back in my seat.

"You didn't have to do that," I growled, crossing my arms. I was slightly cold, but my anger kept me warm enough. "He was nice."

Mr. D rolled his eyes, leaning with his back against the bar, elbows propping him up. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, as he usually was, and even though anyone else would look underdressed in the same attire, he fitted in perfectly. "That mortal was not, as you put it, '_nice_.'"

"How do you know? You barely spoke five words to him."

His gaze slid to me, making me feel incredibly self-conscious and stupid. He lifted the glass with one hand, and when I went to take it, he snatched it back, almost tutting at me. With his free hand, he circled the glass with his index finger, and in the green drink a line of gold appeared, almost like when you put food coloring in water.

"What's that?" I asked dumbly. "What did you put in it?"

"Not me," he said calmly, jerking his head slightly in the direction Dave went. "_Him_."

"Oh," I said quietly, "that… makes a little sense. But I watched the drink, there's no way he could have slipped it in…"

"He touched it, didn't he?"

"Well, yes… but—"

"—that's all he needed."

For a moment, I was silent, watching the gold swirl around inside the drink. Then, I shifted on my seat, the skin of my thighs sticking to the seat for a moment. "Not that I'm not completely grateful, but…what are you doing here, Mr. D? I know that you don't particularly care for the safety of demigods."

"I don't," he agreed, tilting his head slightly in my direction as he watched the chaotic crowd. "But it's my job to retrieve demigods who sneak out of camp without permission."

"Do you have to do this a lot?"

He shook his head, curls bouncing, "Rarely."

My thoughts flashed to the Hermes kids who sneak out all the time, whether to go get sodas and candy from a nearby gas station, or to get VIP passes for a club. They must have some way of getting through the boarders without Mr. D knowing, or maybe he just didn't care.

"You don't look very annoyed with having to come and get us."

"It isn't as though you've picked a dull place to sneak off to," he replied, and he looked even more at ease with his surroundings, if it were possible. "I love clubs- they're a party all the time."

"So we're not in trouble?" I asked hopefully, watching his face for any sign that we would be off the hook. His snort made me want to cringe.

"Oh no, you're in quite a bit of trouble. When Chiron finds out, he'll lecture you about how dangerous it is, putting yourself in danger with outside monsters and the harpies."

"Harpies?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing. "What do the harpies have to do with anything?"

Mr. D finally looked at me fully, a look of irritated confusion on his face, "Harpies eat campers who are out past curfew, especially those who sneak out of camp."

Oh.

I hadn't realized that, and no one ever told me. I supposed it was something to be assumed, but I was always walking through camp late, whether the Hermes cabin felt too hot or too crowded at night, or if I couldn't sleep. The harpies usually avoided me, but I thought they did that to all campers.

"I guess it's another child of Hades thing," I told him, turning around slightly and waving to the bartender. "I've never had any problems." I frowned as I didn't get his attention, realizing he was very pointedly not looking at me,

"That's to be expected, they avoid your siblings, as well." I wanted to ask about them, know what they were like, whether I could meet them… but I chose not to. Word would get to Camp Jupiter soon enough, and if Nico and Hazel wanted to visit me, they would.

Another question did spark my interest, however, and it was one I had no trouble asking. "How did you know, though? Are you attuned to the boarders or something, and felt me and Elena sneak out?"

Mr. D shrugged again, as if it was beyond his level of laziness to find out. "Something like that." It wasn't very descriptive, and I could tell he wasn't into the conversation very much. In fact, I was sure the only reason he was even talking to me at all was to stall, so he could spend as much time out of camp as he could. The least I could do was humor him.

I tried to call out the bartender's name again, which I saw earlier on his nametag, but he was looking the other way, almost as though he was set on ignoring me. Mr. D let out a loud sigh, and waved his hand, a drink appearing in front of me. I peeked at him out of the corner of my eye, "I thought you weren't allowed to give drinks to minors?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Even though he did it in front of me, he still denied it. But from what I heard, it was typical Mr. D behavior. "Thanks, anyway," I told him, and he made no movement to show that he heard me.

I took the glass between my fingers, lifting it to my lips. Mr. D wasn't looking at me or anywhere near me, in fact he looked rather distant.

The drink wasn't too strong, as I knew some were. I accidentally had a sip of my Aunt Sammy's whiskey when I was nine, and that was an experience I never wanted to have again. It wasn't a watermelontini or whatever it was called, it was… I don't even think it had a specific flavor, but it was good.

"Are you going to take us back, then?" I asked, turning around to face the crowd like he was. We didn't look like we knew each other, in fact, it looked like both of us were just having a rough, boring night. My eyes lazily drifted over the crowd, and something cold struck through me when I caught sight of a couple in a booth.

They wouldn't have caught my attention ordinarily, but I had recognized the dress the girl was wearing. It was Elena's. I wasn't able to see her face, as it was attached to some blonde's, and the fact that she had a half empty glass on the table she was sitting at surprised me even more. I tore my eyes away before I looked too suspicious, and before Mr. D noticed, as well. I would never hear the end of it if Chiron had to find out via Mr. D's complaints.

"—camp."

"What?" I blurted. I completely zoned out and whatever he said was lost to me. Luckily, he repeated it.

"It's your decision whether or not you want to die here, but I should assume you're going back to camp."

I blinked, "And it's your job to take us back."

"Must I repeat myself? _Yes_."

I subconsciously licked my lips after I finished the last of my drink, "And what happens when we get back to camp?"

It wasn't quite a shrug nor an eye-roll, but he looked like he wanted to say, '_I don't really know, I just go along with whatever happens._'

Since he didn't say anything, I continued, "Like, when we get back… are you going to wake up Chiron?"

At that, he shook his head, "No need. I'll simply tell him about your little _escapade _tomorrow."

For a moment, I was silent. Then I inclined my head,"All right, Mr. D."

"'_All right_'? You aren't going to beg for my forgiveness or anything of the sort?"

I knew my expression was odd, and the gaze I was giving him didn't help, but I had a bit more pride to me than that. "Is that what campers are expected to do?"

"Usually."

There was another tense pause, and then, "—you're definitely going to tell Chiron then—"

"—probably."

"Ah…" I said, trying my hardest not to grimace. I opened my mouth again to say something, anything that would make the conversation a little more lighthearted and ease the tension, but I was interrupted by Elena.

To be perfectly honest, once I looked away from her, I forgot about her completely. I didn't even have the chance to see her rush at me out of the corner of my eye. One second she was at the booth, and the next, she was in front of me, clutching my arm and half pulling me off the seat. I suppose I should have realized something was up when Mr. D turned around completely, facing the bar with his elbows on top of it, but I wasn't connecting the two together and until her warm fingers made me stumble across the tile.

Elena didn't say much, but I could see by the look in her eyes and her flushed drinks that she wasn't entirely sober. In fact, she even swayed a little, and I had to grab her to make sure she didn't trip over a chair or fall over completely.

After she grabbed me, she let me lead her, as though she was so positive I wasn't drunk despite the fact I was at the bar. Luckily for her, Mr. D interrupted anything I had going for me, or I would have been unconscious and probably hauled off somewhere—something I didn't have much time to think over, but would definitely haunt my dreams at night.

Slowing our pace, I looked back at Mr. D, my eyes wide and silently pleading for him to take us back to camp. It wasn't like I outright told him I wasn't going back, nor did I not want him to take us, I just wanted to stay out in the "safer," mortal world before going back to monsters, and death, and demigods. Especially considering I had the life as a daughter of Hades ahead of me, and we really didn't have the best track record.

Although I didn't know when he turned back around, he was watching Elena and I with a blank, if not unamused, expression when I looked at him over my shoulder. When he saw my face, he let out another dramatic sigh, but stood up.

He walked over, gripping my upper left arm, Elena holding onto my lower right. She looked slightly confused, and I could tell by the way her eyes glazed over that she wouldn't remember this part of the night when she woke up in the morning, and I wasn't about to tell her.

I felt a rush of warm air, and though I thought it was him taking Elena and I back to camp, I realized after a few disorienting moments that it was actually the wind. We were back at camp, and I didn't even feel us moving.

Mr. D let go of my arm, looking over Elena and I for a brief moment before turning on his heel and walking away. I couldn't help but blink and call out after him, "Wait! Elena's cabin is all the way—"

He dismissed me with a wave of his hand, his back still turned to me. At my side, Elena fell on me even more than she was before, her weight shifting. I let out a long stream of air through my nose, then I half-dragged her to the Poseidon cabin. I almost brought us both to the Hermes cabin out of habit, but it only lasted for a second.

Percy answered the door after only a few knocks. His hair was messier than usual and his eyes were droopy from sleep, but he looked at Elena, then at me, then back at Elena, and let out a tired sigh. I didn't get a chance to apologize, because he sort of just took her out of my grip and brought her into the cabin, almost slamming the door closed behind him. I knew he didn't have anything against me, but I think he was just a little more than cranky that I woke him up.

By the time I got to my cabin, I had my clutch in one hand and my shoes bunched together in the other. I was more tired than usual, and though my cabin still freaked me out a little, I managed to squeeze out of my dress and put on my fuzzy pajamas- which were bright pink, a hand-me-down from the Aphrodite cabin when we first arrived, but they were so soft I couldn't give them up.

The cabin was cold, but the blankets were thick, and with the slight buzzing in my head, sleep was easy to fall into. The trip to the club certainly wasn't what I expected, although I wouldn't say it was entirely uneventful.


	5. Demigod Sunburns Are the Worst

Unfortunately for my growling stomach, I'd slept straight through breakfast and into my morning activities. My cabin didn't have any windows- not in the front, anyway. There was one in the bathroom and a single, tinted sliding glass door that let in some fresh air when I was taking a bath, but that was it. I didn't even realize it was noon until I was already dressed and out the door.

The sun was bright and almost overbearing, which made a lot more sense once I knew who my dad was. I guess I had always been a night person; mornings and afternoons never really worked for me.

I kicked a rock off of the dirt path, figuring that it was too late to get anything from the pavilion. Changing route, I trekked to the Hermes cabin, sure that they would have snacks and drinks, although it would come at a price. I supposed I could owe them a favor, as always. I didn't usually indulge in snacks like most of the other campers did, but I figured I should get _something_ in my system. The alcohol from the night before probably wasn't good for me. It wasn't much, but I hardly ever drank.

I paused outside the door, wondering if the food was really worth it, but then I figured, if anything, I could always just start a tab or something. I knocked on the door, the wood hard against my knuckles. The door opened almost instantaneously. I was greeted with a shady smile and was welcomed in as if I was family, though I had left the cabin only two days before.

I smiled at the little boy who let me in. He was eleven and had arrived at camp a few days before. He didn't know who his parent was, yet, but he had a thing for gardening and carrots, and everyone knew it was only a matter of time. Sometimes, it was fairly obvious who a kid's godly parent was, although, like in my and Elena's case, it wasn't initially. The night I found out who mine wad, I'd wondered how I hadn't see it before. I certainly _had_ thought about it, but I'd never even considered Hades, or any of the Big Three, as a candidate. I wasn't powerful, not like Percy, Nico, or Jason. I figured I would be one the kids that people forgot about, but that was okay. I didn't want the responsibility of saving the world on my shoulders.

Sitting down on my old bed, I waited for one of the older campers to bring me some Doritos and a Sprite. Sprite was one of the only sodas I liked, I couldn't stand Coke at all. Aunt Sammy found it rather funny, considering everyone in our entire family was the complete opposite.

The bed squeaked as someone sat down next to me, and I jumped, looking to my right and seeing the auburn-haired kid again. I never caught his name, but he handed me my things before scampering off. I supposed the older kid was putting the latest recruits to work. I shrugged, taking a swig of my drink.

"How was it?"

I jumped, _again_, and wondered if I really _was_ Hades' kid. I swallowed, looking over to the boy who had given me the VIP passes to the club. He hadn't been there before. "It was… nice."

"Nice?" he snorted, his arms crossed, leaning on the metal of the bunk's frame. "Just nice? Sure you didn't get laid or anything?"

I could feel my cheeks heat up as I shook my head. I wasn't sure if I was embarrassed because a practical stranger was asking me, or because the only person I met up with was Mr. D, who definitely would _not_ be happy if he heard the assumption.

"Ah… no. No, mostly I just… danced. And drank. I skipped classes today because of my hangover," I lied.

"You always skip classes," he said, skeptically.

"That doesn't mean it's any less true," I shot back, standing up.

He grinned at me, "But you had a good time?"

I nodded, "Yeah. Thank you, again."

He shrugged, "No problem. You're not the first who's wanted to sneak out, we all do at some point. But I trust you'll owe me that favor?"

It was my turn to grin, "Yep! As soon as I learn to Shadow Travel, I'll take you to Moscow. No questions asked."

He nodded, pleased with my answer, kicking off of the bed and leaving me to myself. I left when he did, careful not to attract any more attention. The last thing I needed was anyone else talking to me.

Figuring that since I'd missed most of my classes and activities, I might as well miss all of them. Though, I was a little more than surprised that Chiron hadn't come to find me yet. I assumed he would punish me and _then_ drag me to classes. It made me wonder if Mr. D even told him, but I was so sure he would. He was Mr. D, he didn't care. I was pretty sure he actually liked to torment campers, he'd made his distaste for demigods more than obvious.

My cabin was as eerie as I left it, cool as winter, dark as night, all of that. I fell against my silky black sheets, letting out a relaxed sigh. A moment later, there was a knock on the door, and I got up to open it. It was locked, so she didn't get the chance to waltz right in. Most cabins didn't have locks, but Nico had put one in anyway. No one really cared.

Elena walked in, right past me, as though she didn't see me. I smiled slightly, clasping my hands behind my back and leaning to whisper in her ear. "_Yes_?"

I startled her, but not enough to make her jump. Mentally, I cursed, sure I would get her next time. I fell back onto my bed, almost as though I hadn't gotten up in the first place. When I hit the mattress, I didn't make a sound. It was almost as if the entire cabin had been soundproofed.

"Er, hi," she said, still standing where I had left her. "I wanted to talk about last night…"

I waved at her to come over. Elena turned around and shut the door softly.

I moved my feet to rest on the wall as she sat down on the other side of the bed. I looked to my pillowcase, running my fingers over the lining. "So, who was that guy, Elena?" I tried to keep my tone calm and casual, but even to my ears it sounded off.

"Huh?"

"That _guy_, Elena." It was almost like a growl, my town mixed with irritation and disapproval. I was a little upset that it had taken her this long to come talk to me.

"Um. About that." Her tone was quiet, and there was no way she was going to shy away from me right after she had come to me in the first place.

"Yes?" I said expectantly.

"It was Apollo." She bit her lip, nervously, and I all but froze in my place. I narrowed my eyes at her, my mind racing, trying to find something to say in reply that didn't involve any screaming.

"I… see." It wasn't as much as a surprise as I thought it would be, but I didn't actually approve.

"Yeah," she said, falling backwards.

"So?" I shifted, sitting up slightly, myself, resting on my elbows.

"What?"

"What did you guys _do_?"

"We danced after he pushed some busty blonde away for insulting his cousin- that would be me- and we ended up making out. But that was the alcohol speaking. Or making out."

"…just making out?"

"Yeah...?"

Falling back into my pillow again, I sighed, "I don't like it. Gods are risky business, you know. And Apollo... well... he's got quite the track record. I caught sight of you two, but I couldn't be sure, I've never met the guy. There's something about him that I don't like."

"Maybe it's because you're a child of Hades, and he's the sun god."

I opened my mouth to disagree, but then dropped it. He obviously made her happy, and there was no way to know that she would even see him again. "Yeah, maybe."

-xxx-

It was my intent to stay in my cabin and relax. I had wanted to clear my mind and get used to my new dark, pointed home, but I found it hard. There was something about it, something… unusual. For demigod standards, anyway. Despite the fact that it was my father's cabin, and both Nico and Annabeth had designed it, I couldn't find it in myself to like it. I missed the Hermes cabin, and the homey normality of it. The kids there understood that sometimes things could be overwhelming at times, but in the Hades cabin, I was alone and there was no one help ease me into it. I regretted not contacting Nico immediately, but even if I had wanted to, I didn't know where to find him.

The cabin was cooler than the Hermes cabin was, and I supposed that was a perk. There were no ceiling fans or anything, it was a natural sort of wind, something that would be in a dark cave or something. I wondered if that was what the underworld was like, it was familiar to me, from the dream I had when I had first gotten to camp.

The walls creaked again, making me jump, and I decided that I had enough. I grabbed my shorts from the floor, which I had taken off as soon as I decided to spend the day in, and slipped into them. I grabbed my shoes, quickly tying them in knots I was sure I wouldn't be able to untangle later, and left.

The sun was still as bright as it had been earlier that day, despite the fact that it was beginning to set, and I squinted my eyes but kept walking. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I was headed in the general direction of the Big House. I wanted to keep my mind off of things, but I couldn't help but let my thoughts go back to the club.

Elena made no mention of being in any trouble when she found me, so I took that as a good sign. In fact, she didn't even know Mr. D had found us in the first place. Maybe I should have told her when she came to talk to me, but there really wasn't anything to say to her. It wasn't as though _I_ was making out with some random guy, although I may have been, if it wasn't for him. Maybe I should have told her what he did, but what would I have said? He did it because he didn't want to have to deal with Chiron yelling at him. In fact, I was fairly certain he hated me, but the feeling was mutual, even if I was grateful for his actions.

I slowed my pace down, my steps getting smaller. I was farther away from my cabin and I had nowhere to be. The trees that were on the right side of the path were familiar and bright green, their branches packed with leaves. Everyone said the camp was prettier in the summer, but almost wanted to disagree with them. Summer was pretty, but I preferred winter. It was almost disappointing to know that there wouldn't be any snow because Chiron and Mr. D kept the weather warm and consistent, it was a green winter last time, too.

Thinking of weather brought me back to the club, where Elena and Apollo had met. I wasn't very happy about it; it was obvious though I tried to hide it from her. I meant what I said, gods were risky business. There wasn't anything that made them worth it, and Apollo was known for being a player, or in godly terms, a temple harlot… I shook my head. The gods were dangerous; my mother was a prime example of that.

It made me so upset. Who did he think he was? The gods almost never fraternized with demigods. Of course, there were rumors, myths, but none _recently_. I kicked a pebble, watching it tumble towards the Big House out of the corner of my eye. I hadn't even realized I had gotten that far, I was so lost in my thoughts. Still, I was right in the matter, but I was sure she wouldn't listen to me.

"You're not even good for her," I mumbled under my breath. "You'll end up hurting her, Apollo. You're not even _worth_ it."

Suddenly, as soon as the words came out of my mouth, a burning sensation prickled along my skin. It was like lying across the sand on the beach for five hours without any sunscreen, the slow progression of burnt pain, but _all at once_.

I didn't even realize what was happening, everything was outside of my body. At first I wondered if it was like an out-of-body experience, but then I put the thought out of my head. It was like my skin was on fire. I fell to the ground, though I barely felt it. Distantly, I heard someone screaming, which I assumed was me. Nobody else's voice was that shrill and annoying. On the ground, I twisted, almost writhing. It was the closest I could get to the famous "stop-drop-and-roll".

After a few moments of squirming on the ground, the pain stopped. I huffed out a long breath, my throat achy. I stared up at the clear sky, raising my arm so I could see my skin. My burns weren't third degree, or anything, it just looked like an average sunburn. My skin was tanned, and slightly red, but I knew from experience that the red would fade away.

I narrowed my eyes, knowing that I shouldn't say anything. It was my mouth that got me in the position in the first place, but I was sixteen and he was like, at least three thousand. The sun god could have afforded to be more mature, which solidified my thoughts toward him immediately.

Standing up, I dusted the dirt off of myself and stomped into the Big House. Several kids were looking anywhere but me, but they started doing that the second I was claimed. No one liked the creepy Hades kids.

Inside the Big House, Mr. D was playing cards with Chiron, who was sitting in his wheelchair with his back to me, and a couple of satyrs. He raised his eyebrows, and I narrowed my eyes even further, hissing, "_Don't_." I sat down on the couch, stiff, with my arms crossed, staring straight ahead.

Chiron took one look at me and sighed, sending one of the satyrs to fetch one of the Apollo kids. I almost wanted to tell him no, but I knew that they wouldn't hurt me, not like their dad. They may ask questions, but I was a usual to them and I learned that I didn't have to answer. Usually, I was their practice for healing, like how doctors have to cut apart a dead body in med school. Except, it wasn't as gruesome, I usually kept all of my limbs.

The one who fixed me up was Will, a cute older boy who also happened to be the leader of the Apollo cabin and always wanted to keep busy. He mumbled something, and I instantly felt better, but he handed me some ambrosia anyway. He raised an eyebrow at the burns, but I just shrugged and he dropped it.

He left a minute or two before I did. I waited until it got a little bit darker out, but the sun was already beginning to set when I left my cabin in the first place. I bid Chiron a goodbye and left for my own cabin, which I wasn't any bit prepared to go back to than I had been when I left.


	6. Chapter 6

**When I entered my cabin, I fell right on my bed. I decided to go back to sleep, not even bothering to dry my feet or get the sand off them. I was sprawled across my bed, and slept through both breakfast and lunch.**

**I'm sure people knocked on my door, and I'm sure Elena tried to get in, but I locked it.**

**I didn't want any sunlight to get in, and I'm not ready to tell Elena what happened to me. She'd get mad, that I know, but it'll be at me…**

**Spending all day in my cabin was incredibly boring. I couldn't stand it, I just stared at the wall all day. Have you ever done that? Seriously, a better option would be killing yourself. I knew I wouldn't die for good, it would just be something to do.**

**About an hour after I woke up, there was a knock at my door. I groaned, and called out, "Who is it?"**

**I was surprised by the answer. A deep, male voice said, "Hermes. Now, are you going to answer the door, or am I going to stand out here all day?"**

**My eyes widened, and I jumped up, running to the door. I opened it without a second thought, and regretted it. Sunlight hit my skin, making it burned. I hissed, snatching my hand back. The door was open, but I took a step back, into the shadows of my cabin. "Er… Hi," I said.**

**Hermes was older than Apollo or Dionysus, in looks, anyway. He seemed to be about forty, but was still pretty good looking. You know, kinda like those older actors that teen girls swoon over? Yes, I mean Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman. Anyway, he nodded to me, but raised an eyebrow. "Well, from what I've seen and been through, I've learned it's better not to ask."**

**He looked me up and down for a second, and at that moment I felt **_**very **_**self conscious in my pajamas. "Here," he said, "I have a package here from Hades." He glanced around the cabin, "Who I'm assuming is your father." As he said this, he handed me the box.**

**"Yeah, he is. Thanks,," I said awkwardly, cradling the box. I shifted it to one arm and signed the paper he had for me. I've never received a gift from my father. Ever. It was an odd surprise.**

**Hermes checked his watch and swore, he nodded his head to me, "Sorry, beautiful, but I have to go." Before I even had time to blush at his comment, he was gone.**

_**Someone **_**is in a hurry.**

**I sighed and closed my door, grabbing my knife off my bedside table and opened up the box. …Then I stopped breathing.**

**Inside was a sleek laptop, and a wireless internet box. The laptop looked expensive, but my dad's a god, I don't think a few thousand dollars would matter to him. This meant a lot to me, not only because it was a gift from the parent who never gave a shit about my life, but because I've never had really expensive stuff growing up. Sure, I had an email, but it was free and I could only go on it at school.**

**I wasn't sure what to do, even with the instructions, but I managed to hook everything up properly without breaking anything. I was happy I would actually be **_**entertained, **_**and I wouldn't have to kill myself for enjoyment.**

**Wait, that didn't sound right…**

**Oh well.**

**I typed in the site address, the AOL website, and paled when I saw the homepage. The number one news event was of two girls missing. And here's the thing, the picture was of Elena and I.**

**"**_**TWO MISSING GIRLS STILL NOT FOUND AFTER SIX MONTHS…**_**"**

**Oh, crap.**

**I didn't think about this when we left. I may not have been missed, but Elena? Her absence would have been noticed, and apparently it has been. For six months. Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods…**

**I checked my email, and saw I had some from thousands of people, most I didn't even know. Some asking where I was, and others were Facebook notifications. I quickly shut down my computer, panicked. What will happen when we leave camp? People would recognize us for sure, and then what would happen?**

**I threw on some black skinny jeans, a dark red long-sleeved shirt, my jacket, some sunglasses, and ran out the door. I ran through the shadows, and my hair protected any skin that wasn't covered when I hit a patch of sunlight.**

**As I was running to the big house, I was tackled to the ground by Elena. "Where have you **_**been?**_**" she demanded.**

**My sunglasses were knocked off, and I rolled my eyes at her, pushing her off me. She pointed to the tree next to us, and we sat under it, which was kind of my thing. "I was really tired, okay? I didn't feel like getting up," I said.**

**She nodded, accepting my lie. She usually wouldn't have done that if something wasn't on her mind. "Hey," I said, nudging her in the ribs, "what's going on?"**

**"The huntresses," she said, "they're at camp, and they hate me."**

**I vaguely remember what little Chiron and the Apollo cabin told me about the huntresses, and from what they said, the group of girls that saved Elena and I when we were little, were them. "I'm sure they don't **_**hate **_**you…"**

**"You want to bet?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Then, she started to tell me what happened.**

**"….And then she told me to beware of Artemis! Really, I thought Artemis **_**liked**_** girls. Does every god on Olympus hate me?" Elena said, complaining.**

**I shrugged, "No, I don't think Apollo does, and it would be pretty stupid if Poseidon did, either."**

**"So everyone else?" she asked, groaning.**

**I grinned, "Pretty much, yeah."**

**"You really aren't any help, Emilie, you know that?"**

**"Well, if you **_**wanted**_** someone to agree with your every answer, you should have gotten a satyr. There scared out of their wits of you."**

**"I don't get why- I'm not **_**that**_** scary!"**

**"Well there was that one time where you-"**

**"Okay! I get it! I freak out the satyrs!"**

**I looked at my watch, then widened my eyes. "I've got to go- shooting practice with Will." I said, then got up, walking through the shadows of the house next to us. Again, I felt bad lying to her, but it was necessary. At least, for now.**

**As I was walking around, nobody questioned my appearance, or made any comments. In fact, it seems most of them didn't know. I thought news like that would spread like wildfire… Did Chiron tell the ones who saw not to tell anyone? That would make sense, I guess. It would cause a lot less hassle.**

**By the time dinner came around, I could eat anything. Heck, I'd eat vegetables if I had to. I didn't understand how people could be vegetarians, I mean, we're human- kinda- we're made to eat meat. I suppose I could understand if they ate as much vegetables as they did because they hated plants, but….**

**I was one of the first ones at the pavilion, but when I sat at my table, I saw a group of girls at Artemis' table. They were dressed in green and silver, and I knew they were the huntresses. The one who seemed to be their leader, it was obvious she wasn't Artemis, looked me right in the eye. From what Elena said of her, this must be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, sister of Jason.**

**It was quite obvious Dionysus didn't like Thalia, as he was glaring at her. But then again, she was glaring right back at him. It was a mutual hate, it seemed.**

**The sun had just went down, and when I was sure it did, I took off my jacket and sunglasses, letting out a sigh. I pulled my sleeves down to my wrists, and unwrapped the bandage on my left palm. It was healed, though still a bit pink.**

**After I had eaten all that I could, I stayed at my table, tracing the lines in the wood. I didn't have anything else to do, other than telling Chiron what happened, but I wanted to put off that trouble as much as possible.**

**Well, no, that's a lie, I had plenty of chores to do. But really, who said I was going to do them?**

**Everyone eventually left the pavilion, going back to their cabins or doing something else. I knew that Elena as off fighting in the arena, she **_**really **_**needed the practice. Sure, she's good with a sword, but double swords? Eh… not so much.**

**I jumped when I felt someone sit down on my bench. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't hear them… I looked up, "Dionysus!" I cried out, "Don't sneak up on me like that!"**

**He only raised an eyebrow, "Me? Aren't you the daughter of Hades? Maybe **_**you **_**should work on hearing better, or the very least be able to sneak up one someone else," he said.**

**"You. Shush."**

**He leaned onto the table, "Don't shush me, you're much too short to even **_**think **_**about giving me orders. And aren't you supposed to be **_**doing **_**something? You're behind in your chores, seeing as you've been in that cabin all day."**

**I scowled at him, "Do you think that I **_**like **_**being cooped up in my cabin all day? I'd rather be doing something! So unless you can talk sense into Apollo…"**

**"Sorry to burst your bubble, **_**deary, **_**but nobody can talk sense into Apollo."**

**I grimaced, "So it seems…."**

**"I'm afraid it's true, young demigod," a strong, female voice said. Both Dionysus and I looked up at Artemis, who looked to be about twelve. Her long hair was in a braid, and her eyes were bright and silver, like the moon. She sat down across from us, folding her hands. Dionysus tensed, and his expression said he wasn't happy.**

**I blinked at her, "Lady Artemis. How nice it is to finally meet you," I said, almost at loss for words. But really, what was I supposed to say?**

**"I am pleased to meet you, too, Emilie. I've heard much about you," she said. As sweet as she sounded, she scared me. He gaze was piercing, and I felt like I disappointed her by just sitting her. Because of her odd gaze-self-esteem-lowering thing, I shrank back into Dionysus. She looked at Dionysus, then back at me, then frowned. "Oh no… this just will not do."**

**My eyebrows furrowed, "Lady…?"**

**Her hands unfolded, and she gave me the oddest look. "I have an offer to make to you," she said. Her tone was much more serious than before, much more determined.**

**"An offer?"**

**She nodded, "You've been brought up well, daughter of Hades. We think alike, and have similar views concerning my brother. I want you to be one of my huntresses."**

_**Oh. **_

**Dionysus held his hand up, "Wait **_**just a minute**_**," he said quickly, and a bit angrily. "The last daughter of Hades you asked to join you, at this camp, I might add, **_**died**_**. Why should she join you? Surely she would realize it's unsafe for her."**

**My eyes widened, and I looked between the two immortals at my table. "Oh? Are you **_**concerned**_**, Dionysus? This is a first for you!" she sneered, then said, "Stop being a stupid male and interfering with my hunters."**

**He smirked back at her, "She's not your hunter, now is she?"**

**This made Artemis turn to me, "Emilie, will you be one of my huntresses?"**

**I raised my eyebrows, contemplating the situation, "Well, Lady Artemis, what does being one of your huntresses entitle?"**

**She grinned, "Well, you'll be able to kill monsters and do fabulous things. Your senses will be sharper, you'll be stronger, and most of the time, you'll be able to do as you please. Though there is no men, you'll have sisters. And though they are not related by blood, they will be the best sisters anyone could have. Oh yes, and I'll grant you immortality," she said.**

**"**_**Immortality**_**…" I whispered in shock. How could I give up such an offer? I mean, who would be stupid enough to give up immortality?**

**"Yes," I said instantly, and I saw Dionysus' eyes widen in shock, and he let out a breath. The air around us was silent, tense, and I finally regained my senses. "I mean, no. **_**No**_**. I-I… Can I have time to think about it?"**

**She nodded, "Of course, I will meet you here after dinner tomorrow night, expecting my answer," she said this while standing up, and she danced out, her braid swinging around behind her.**

**I was still a bit shocked by the whole thing, and didn't know what to do next. "Were you actually going to say yes? Actually going to go through with it?" he whispered.**

**I was surprised by his reaction, even more than Artemis' offer. "I-well-I… I don't know. Maybe? The offer sounded good, especially immortality, but as much as I wanted it… I don't think I could do it," I said this, then cracked a grin. "I mean, giving up guys forever? Not something I could do… But then again, I don't have a reason not to do it. No guys around here have shown interest in me and- wait, why am I telling you this?" I asked, then sighed, shaking my head.**

**Then I glanced up at the sky, "I have some important things to do, so I ought to do them." I said, rising from the table.**

**As I was walking away, he grabbed my hand. This wasn't like the last time he grabbed me, he actually took my **_**hand **_**this time, not my wrist. I turned to him, "What could it possibly be **_**now**_**?"**

**"Don't do it, you'll end up dying. I know how it will turn out, and it won't be good. Just trust me," he said, wrapping his fingers around my palm, gently yet firmly, and pulled me closer to him.**

**I bit my lip, "But I've **_**never **_**trusted you, why on Gaea would I do it now?"**

**He rolled his eyes, "**_**Because **_**you silly girl, if you don't, your life here will be terrible."**

**I crossed my arms, and looked down, and I heard him sigh. He lifted my chin up making me look at him. "Really! Is this so hard? Women these days, no sense of respect!"**

**I rolled my eyes, but froze when his face got close to mine. My heartbeat got faster, and I didn't know what to do. No, that wasn't the problem, the problem was what I **_**wanted**_**.**

**I wanted to kiss him.**

**Badly.**

**But there was no way that could happen. For one, I'm a demigod and he's a god. Two, he wouldn't want to, I mean, come on, I irritate him to death. And three, there's a good chance he would smite me or something.**

**But to my intense surprise, his lips got even closer to mine, and we both knew what was going to happen. In his eyes, there was something there that I hadn't seen on him before.**

_**Lust. **_

**"D- Mr. D?" I asked. Wouldn't it be weird if I called him by his actual name now? Now that I **_**know **_**that I like him, would it be too obvious? I only did it to annoy him before, but if I do it now who knows what he would think.**

**"What happened to calling me by my name? Hm? I don't mind you know, at least **_**someone **_**does it. Nobody does, and it drives me **_**mad**_**," he said in a murmur, and I felt his arm slide around my waist, touching the small of my back. Then, he pulled me closer to him. Now our bodies were touching.**

**He seemed almost calm, but he knew what he was doing. I had no clue, I've never really been… um… "active".**

**I suppose this would look weird to mortals, he seems to be in his twenties and I'm only sixteen. Technically, this would be illegal. Thank gods that it isn't here.**

**"Don't answer that, I want you to be silent for once. It seems this would only happen once in a lifetime. You being quiet, that is." He was definitely different, he was acting on impulse rather than thinking things through.**

**This time, his lips got closer to mine, but it this movement was quick. Before I knew it, our lips were a mere centimeter apart. Now, slowly, he closed the gap between them. Our lips were just about to touch….**

**I heard a few gasps out in the distance, but then there were a bunch of giggles. It was probably a bunch of Aphrodite girls telling each other who they liked. And at the moment, I didn't actually care.**

**Our lips barely touched before we were interrupted by freaking Grover. I think he was trying to find some spare coke cans or something, but when he got up there and saw us, he turned tomato red. He dropped the cans he was holding, and his pipes.**

**When Dionysus stopped breathing, and I knew he was angry. His lips were hovering over mine, and I just now realized that his hand was tangled in my hair. His grip on my back tightened, and he pulled my head to his, and gave me one, swift kiss, before looking up at Grover.**

**Grover's eyes widened when he realized who exactly he was. He began to shake in fear, and I would imagine he was scared for his life.**

**I knew it was Grover because of the pipes that he had . Also, I knew by Percy's description of him. Speaking of Percy, I just found out he was back at dinner.**

**"M-M-Mr. D!" he exclaimed, then looked at me. His eyebrows went up, but he quickly got scared again when Dionysus yelled at him. Or rather, didn't yell at him. He spoke in such a calm voice, it seemed he would explode any second.**

**"If you wish to live past today, Satyr, I recommend you leave right this second."**

**Grover ran off without a word.**

**Dionysus looked at me, and it seemed he was back to his normal self. "What the fuck am I doing?" he said out loud.**

**I smirked, "Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity." I tried joking around, because if I didn't, I've probably be afraid, too. Who knows what kind of trouble I'm in now!**

**But, well, **_**it was totally worth it. **_

**"Do you think I don't know that?" he asked, rubbing his temples. "Go!" he exclaimed, then ran a hand through his hair.**

**"But-"**

**"**_**Now!**_**"**

**Guys were so freaking complicated, and gods were worse. I began to walk away, but a thought came to mind. I was hurt, and I didn't like to be. I spun around on my heel, and flipped him off. Then I turned back, and as I was walking away, I loudly called out, "Douche."**

**When I arrived at the Big House, I was Chiron and Grover talking.**

**Damn.**

**-xxx-**

**Apparently they were talking about what Grover did in Canada, thank gods. The last thing I need is for Chiron to find out.**

**When Chiron noticed me, which took a good ten minutes, he greeted me with a smile. "Emilie, looking better, I see!" he paused, "And it seems you got a tan."**

**I scowled at him, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Elena wanted to practice her water magic, and I tagged along. But our beach time was cut short; **_**Interrupted. **_**Don't you just hate it when that happens, Grover?" I asked him, tilting my head to the side.**

**"Uh… yeah," he said, sounding a bit nervous. "But who **_**are **_**you?"**

**Chiron's eyes widened in surprise, "You two haven't met yet?"**

**"Nope," I replied.**

**"Well then!" He exclaimed. Motioning to me, he said, "Grover, this is Emilie Reynolds, daughter of Hades."**

**Grover paled when he heard this, "Hades?**

**I nodded, "Yeah! It may be hard to tell at first, though, because I'm so happy and tan. But once I start raisin' those zombies, you know for sure!"**

**I can't actually raise zombies, at least, not yet. I'll get Nico to teach me… But once I **_**do **_**learn, on Halloween I'm going to raise a bunch and make them to the "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Of course, it may freak some people out, but that's the point.**

**"But how does Mr. D and a daugh-" he started to say, but I tackled him.**

**"Don't speak of it, or I'll kill you," I whispered in his ear. I wasn't kidding, either.**

**"Child! What are you doing?" Chiron asked.**

**I blinked, "Uh… no reason?"**

**"Hm… children are so odd these days," Chiron muttered.**

**I sighed, "Chiron, I have to talk to you," I said, then glanced at Grover, "alone."**

**He nodded, "Grover, I'm sorry, but why don't you go and talk to Percy? I'm sure he's dying to see you."**

**Grover nodded and left the room, and I sat down on the couch. "What's wrong, Child?" he asked.**

**I started at the beginning, skipping out on me cursing Apollo part.**

**"And then I saw that we were missing! What do I do? What do **_**we **_**do?"**

**He sighed, "I think it's time I teach you how to manipulate the mist," he said.**

**My eyebrows furrowed. The mist was the thing that kept mortals in the dark, but I didn't know it could be manipulated. If I knew that, maybe I would stop worrying so much.**

**"How do you do it?"**

**He shrugged, "It's easy, really. All you do is snap your fingers and wish for what you want changed to happen. It will work, but it has to be reasonable." He snapped his fingers, "There, this whole situation is fixed. But next time, tell somebo-"**

**He was cut off by the door slamming open, "What is **_**she **_**doing here?" Dionysus demanded. Uh-oh… he was in one of his "moods" again.**

**"She's a camper here, Dionysus, and she needs my help."**

**I held my hand up, "No need to defend me, Chiron," I said, looking Dionysus. "I can tell when I'm not wanted. Oh, I won't be here for the next few days, I'll be going to the Underworld to spend time with my father."**

**"No you will **_**not**_**!" Dionysus said angrily, slamming his fist against a table.**

**Gods, **_**someone **_**is on their man-period today.**

**"But-"**

**"**_**No**_**."**

**"Why won'-"**

**"**_**No**_**."**

**I sighed.**

**"**_**No**_**."**

**"I didn't even say anything that time!"**

**Percy walked in then, and as he stood in the doorway, he asked, "Can Elena and I go visit my dad in a few days?"**

**Dionysus shrugged it off, "Sure, go ahead."**

**"Thanks," Percy said, then ran off.**

**I sat there, my mouth hanging open. Did he just… But why… Huh? That's not fair!**

**"Are you fucking **_**serious?**_** You just let him go, and not even without a fight, either! What the Hades was that?" Okay, I was freaking out, too, but I'm a teenage girl, I'm allowed to.**

**"I'm very serious. Peter Johnson has saved the world, **_**and **_**he has done me a personal favor or two. I know for a fact that you have **_**not **_**saved the world, and have not done anything like he has."**

**I clenched my hands into fists, which is something I've been doing quite often now. But this time, when I opened them, I felt stronger, powerful. I grabbed a vase and threw it at him, and when he went to catch it, it shattered. It was going to fast it was a blur, and I even knocked over the table, which was like, a thousand pounds. And no, I'm not kidding.**

**I stormed out, and I was screaming random stuff. But the thing I said the loudest, and the thing that probably got the most attention, was, "I **_**hate **_**life! I fail at it! No **_**wonder **_**I'm a daughter of Death!"**

**-xxx-**

**The next day was a bit weird.**

**I was sitting in the shade, eating an apple and reading a book in Greek, when I heard many footsteps surrounding me. I quickly shut my book, dropped my apple, and started to run through the shadows.**

**"Get her!" I heard someone cry out, then something whistling through the air. An arrow got me in the leg, causing me to fall over. I don't know why, but I passed out.**

**Maybe the arrow was dipped in poison?**

**-xxx-**

**I woke up tied to a chair, and I knew I was in trouble. I was tied to a chair in **_**pink ribbon**_**, and all I could smell was perfume.**

**The Aphrodite cabin.**

**Drew kneeled down in front of me, "If you won't be difficult, I'll untie you."**

**I nodded quickly, "I'll be good."**

**"Wonderful!" she said, grinning. She snapped her fingers and someone untied me, and I rubbed my arms, which felt sore.**

**"What am I doing here?" I asked her, glancing around the cabin. Why would they kidnap me?**

**"It's simple, really. A few of us, myself included, saw you and a certain Camp Director kissing…"**

**My eyes widened, "We were **_**not**_**!" I exclaimed, then sighed, "Not that much, anyway…"**

**She sighed, "Yes, sadly. You were interrupted, and now he's in denial."**

**"Denial… **_**Right**_**. I'm sure that's what it is. It could also be the fact that he hates me," I said.**

**"He doesn't hate you. If he did, he wouldn't be looking at you the way he was!" the girl beside Drew, I think her name was Angelina, said.**

**I rolled my eyes, "And let me guess, you want to help me?"**

**Drew nodded, "Not only us, but our mother," she said.**

**I snorted, "The only thing Aphrodite has done for me is get me confused and in trouble," I muttered.**

**"Is that so?" asked a woman, who was walking through the group of girls.**

**She seemed to be about twenty, with flawless skin and had blonde hair, and a changing eye color. She was the most beautiful person I've ever seen. It was Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.**

**"I don't mean to be disrespectful… But yeah," I said.**

**She nodded, "Well, I'm going to fix that. We need a plan, and I know exactly how to do it," she said.**

**"First, you need to get him to notice you. More so than he has already. We need some sort of event where we can dress you up," Drew said.**

**Aphrodite grinned, "Very good, Piper! Now, what kind of event should we do? We know he will show up, he **_**has **_**to show up at all of the festivities."**

**"What about a dance?" a random girl asked.**

**"Hm… A dance sounds good. What kind of dance? What to do, what to do…" she said, thinking.**

**I coughed, loudly. "I don't want a dance," I said.**

**Aphrodite gasped, "Why ever not?"**

**I shrugged, "I just don't like dances, they seem so petty. I would prefer to have a ball," I muttered, then realized what I just said.**

_**Oh gods.**_

**"A ball! That would be perfect! Oh! A **_**masquerade **_**ball would be the best thing for the two of you. It's sort of like star-crossed lovers. I love doing that, it's so entertaining!"**

**Am I just some sort of… reality show for her?**

**She waved me out, "Go on, we're done for now. And don't tell a **_**soul **_**about what we're doing!" She said, excited.**

**I shrugged and ran out of there, happy I could breath fresh air again.**

**I was making my way towards my cabin when I heard the loud horn. I knew what it was, it was the horn that was blared when someone died or was pronounced dead. I crumpled to my knees, grabbing my head. There was this awful buzzing noise, and it was too loud, I couldn't take it.**

**Luckily some children of Athena were near by and they brought me to the big house. I don't know whether they brought me through the sun or not, my head hurt more than any burns did. I don't even know what I did this time, either.**

**I was set on the couch, and I could faintly hear, "What's wrong with her?" I think it was the buzzing in my head, because it sounded a lot like Dionysus.**

**"We don't know! Once the horn started blaring, she dropped to her knees and started screaming!" one of the Athena boys exclaimed.**

**Chiron stepped forward and places a hand on my forehead, which was freezing, much colder than it should have been. "I know what's happening, thank you, boys, you can go now."**

**As the two Athena boys left, I definitely heard Dionysus ask, "What's wrong with her?" His tone wasn't worried, just bored and curious.**

**"She's a daughter of Hades and Eric's dead body is here, what do you think is wrong with her? Every child of Hades must deal with it. Every time someone dies or there is a dead body near by, there will be a terrible buzzing in their head. She just has to learn how to deal with it."**

_**Every time?**_

**"Oh, well, she'll be fine."**

**"Yes, she will. But Dionysus, how odd it is for you to ask."**

**"Don't remind me."**

**-xxx-**

**I fell asleep on their couch, mostly because all they talked about after that was pinochle. I woke up in my cabin, again, and threw my pillow at the wall. It hit the one picture of that unknown ghost that I kept seeing in my dreams.**

**The picture fell off, and I sighed. I'll put it back up later.**

**I jumped when I heard a knocking at my door, "Emilie? You in there?" Elena asked, but her voice sounded hoarse, as if she had been crying.**

**"Yes, come in." I called out.**

**She walked through my door, and I noticed she had some pretty pimped out sunglasses on her head.**

**"Did you go? Eric…" She had stared saying, but stopped.**

**"I deal with death already. And you know Eric and I weren't the best of friends," I said, not wanting to tell her about the buzzing incident.**

**"Did you curse Apollo, and then he gave you a sunburn?" She randomly asked. But then I realized I was in my camp tank top and short shorts, she could see my now tan skin.**

**"Nope. I was waiting for you to ask. I yelled at him, and then he, uh, burned me," I said while looking at the walls, refusing to look at her. I decided now would be a good time to tell her, after all, where's the harm?**

**"I'm going to **_**get**_** him!" She yelled, and I raised an eyebrow.**

**"Oh, now are you? Fighting fire with fire never works."**

**"That's why I'm fighting fire with **_**water,**_** idiot!"**

**-xxx-**

**Elena Iris-messaged Apollo, and now I can go out into the sun! I was so happy when she told me the news that I didn't even bother to let her finish and ran outside. She didn't seem to mind, she had something to do, anyway.**

**I spent the day shooting arrows with Will, who really needed to get his mind away from his deceased brother, and did that until dinner.**

**We walked in together, laughing and smiling as we talked about how many times I missed hitting the target. I was bad, I knew that, and it was fun to joke with him about it. I saw Artemis sitting at my table, and I said goodbye to him, sitting down. "Hello, Lady Artemis," I said.**

**"What is your decision?" she asked me, and I sighed.**

**"I'm sorry, Lady, but I don't think I can do it. As much as I'd love to, I can't give up on men. I hope you don't hate me for it…"**

**She shook her head, "No, of course not. I understand your decision. There will always be a spot open for you if you change your mind," she said, getting up.**

**When she was walking away, I cried out, "Lady Artemis!"**

**She turned around, "Yes?"**

**"One quick question. If you hate men so much, how are you the goddess of childbirth? I mean, men are needed in order for that to happen…"**

**She grinned, and I realized it was the first time I've ever seen her look actually **_**happy**_**. "It's complicated, young demigod, It's complicated."**

**-xxx-**

**After dinner, I noticed the Aphrodite girls crowding Dionysus. I walked by, curious as to what they were doing. "**_**Please **_**can we have a ball? **_**Please**_**?" one asked.**

**"No, no, no! I've said no seven times already, go away."**

**"But why?"**

**"Because I said so. Stop wasting my time."**

**"Honestly, you need to have more fun, Mr. D!"**

**"No, and that's final."**

**I sighed, "Oh, I thought it would be fun."**

**There was a pause for a moment, then, "I've reconsidered. You can have your silly party whenever you want."**

**-xxx-**

**I walked to the Poseidon cabin, sneaking in. Nobody was in it, and I walked to the annoying fountain, flipping a Drachma into it. "Nico Di' Angelo, The Underworld."**

**In a few moments, Nico appeared in the mist. "Emilie! Uh… Hi. What do you want?" He asked.**

**"I want you to take me to meet dad," I said.**

**"Sure, when?"**

**"Right now."**

**-xxx-**

**I could have gone farther, but I just didn't want to. That's two chapters together, and if I went any farther, I'd be ahead of Riley. Oh, and I wrote this at like, four in the morning, I know it sucks. **

**Speaking of Riley, her birthday was fun! Some **_**crazy **_**things happened there…**

**Please, review! Tell me what you think of the story, and what you want to happen. I could really use some suggestions… and opinions. **


	7. Chapter 7

The Underworld is the most depressing place I've ever been to. It's cold, it's damp, and most of all- it's full of dead things and monsters.

I suppose it _is _rather sad to say that I love it there.

I mean, though I'm allowed to go into the sun, it still makes me nervous. In the Underworld, I don't have to worry about anything like that. There's no way the sun could even get down here. And, it seems so familiar. It gives me an odd sense of comfort, and that may be a bit weird.

Nico wasn't happy when he found out that I wanted to learn how to control the dead. "It _ruined _me, Emilie!" he said, "I don't want my… you to be ruined, too." I was happy he cared, but he was a bit hesitant around the whole sister subject.

He shadow-traveled into Percy's cabin, and we went back to our own cabin after that. I packed my bag, quickly, and he slung me onto his back. "Hang on," he said, and ran into the shadows

Traveling through the shadows was such an odd- and fun- thing to do. It was freezing, yet exhilarating. Nico said it only felt that way to children of Hades, and that anyone else he would bring along would be scared out of their wits.

When Nico brought be me to a large building. I thought for sure that it wasn't the Underworld, but Nico said it was. Inside, there were many people crammed inside. I took a double take and realized that they were ghosts, souls that haven't passed on yet.

We passed a man at a desk, "Charon," Nico said, nodding to him. He looked up at Nico, then he looked at me. "Who's the girl?" he asked, looking me up and down.

Nico stuck his middle finger at him, "She's my sister, so don't get any funny ideas."

Oh, I knew we were related.

When we arrived in the underworld, I was amazed. Everything there seemed to fit my personality. Okay, well, parts were really depressing, but others were nice… Kinda.

Nico brought me to large, familiar doors. He asked to enter, and we were granted permission. Inside was my father sitting on his throne.

Nico knelt down on the ground, but I didn't. My father looked a lot like me, his hair was the same as mine, black and wavy. His skin was pale, just like mine _used _to be. My first words to him where, "Are you serious? Your hair isn't even on fire!"

Nico's head snapped up, and he looked at me as if I were crazy. He probably didn't know much about Disney, well, other than Mickey Mouse. Percy told me how Nico grew up in the forties, and I thought that was pretty cool. But still, it'll take a while before he's completely up to date.

Anyway, my dad didn't blast me like Nico thought he would. Instead, he raised an eyebrow. "I don't have the power of fire, go talk to Hephaestus if you want something lit."

I grinned, "I never thanked you. You know, for not letting me die and all," I said, and he shrugged.

"I'm not going to let a child of mine go to the Fields of Asphodel."

Nico's eyebrows furrowed, "Wait, what?"

I turned to him, "Well, when I first came to camp, I got into a car wreck. Apparently, I died and Dad brought me back."

Dad. Hm, that seemed to fit. I've never really been one to day mother and father, but I really didn't know what to call him then. Nico's eyes widened, "You brought her _back_? But that's not natural! Not without a proper trade!" he yelled, his face paler than usual. He seemed angry, and he looked at me with such disgust. "Why _her_? Why didn't you bring back Bianca? Why her?"

"Who's Bianca?" I asked, my voice shaky. Nico turned to me, his nostrils flaring.

"Bianca was my _sister_, unlike you. She died, and she wasn't able to come back. If she couldn't, you shouldn't have, either!" He charged towards me, and I feared for my life. He was going to kill me!

I started to run backwards, but I tripped, but still tried to get away. Just as he was about to hit me he was stopped. I could see my dad behind him. He grabbed his arm and shoved him away. "Leave," he said, "I don't want to see you. Leave!"

With that, Nico stalked off, running through the shadows. He wanted me dead, he wanted his… his real sister here instead of me.

It was just my dad and I, and I didn't know how to respond to what he did. "Bianca died a hero's death, she resides in one of the better parts of the Underworld. If you were to die, you would be in the fields of Asphodel. You didn't like it there, and I refuse to be disgraced like that."

I nodded, "That's why it took you so long to claim me, I needed to prove myself worthy of being your child."

He smirked, "Yes, and I found that when you killed that Ares girl with only your glare

was a nice touch."

"I want to control it."

"Control what? Your abilities?" he asked, and I nodded. "Well, it seems you're old enough. Nico was younger than you are when he learned, but then again, he had a ghost to show him the way to do things."

I grimaced, "But I don't want a dead thing to teach me! I want you to teach me, at least I know that you know what you're doing."

He waved it off, "I'll think about it. But right now I'm busy, one of my servants will show you to your room," he said, and a ghost came, flouted, whatever, forward. She was a young girl, maybe my age, with blonde hair and gray eyes. Her expression was lifeless, "Emma, show my daughter to her room."

Emma lifted a finger, motioning for me to follow her. Then she turned around, and began to float away. I quickly caught up, and followed her. As we were traveling, I saw a garden. Persephone's, perhaps? When we got to a hallway, there were plenty of rooms. I picked the first one I saw, but Emma shook her head. I frowned, but followed her. She pointed to the one on the far end, and I entered that one.

Inside was one of the most beautiful rooms I had ever seen. The walls and ceiling were painted black, but there were silver stars on them. It wasn't those crappy stars you glue on your walls at home, these, well, they looked _real_.

When I turned around to thank Emma, she was already gone. My bag was on the floor next to the king sized bed. I laid down in the bed, closing my eyes, and went to sleep.

-xxx-

I was woken up by a constant poking on my arm. "Wake up," I heard a voice mutter. I opened my eyes, and saw a little girl, around the age of seven. She was tan, and her eyes were brown. She was real. "You're up! Good. Master wants to see you," she said.

I sat up, realizing I was still in my clothes from the night before. I followed her, and was led to a large arena type room. My dad was standing there, a dark sword in his hand. Once I walked into the room, the little girl scurried off, looking scared.

I pointed in the direction she went with my thumb, "Why is she here?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Her mother sold her soul to save her own. I decided she'd be useful."

I blinked, "Oh."

"Yes. Now, I've thought about it, and I've decided I'm going to teach you."

My eyebrows went up, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yes, but I'm only going to teach you a one thing at a time. This visit, I'm going to teach you how to raise the dead." I nodded, "Now, if you want to summon a spirit, you have to dig a hole and offer it something. Food and a drink will suffice. Once that's done, you say…"

-xxx-

By the time I was actually able to raise something, I was exhausted. It took my dad at least an hour to explain everything- it shouldn't have taken that long, but I just didn't get it- and he got _really _irritated with me. So, instead of telling me, he just showed me instead. Once I actually understood, he wasn't so mad at me anymore.

But he also showed me how to raise bodies, skeletons, things like that. That was what wore me out the most. I went back to my room, which I was told was my room for every time I came there, and passed out right on the bed.

After a few hours, that girl came back. The live one. She woke me up the same way she did the first time, "You need to get dressed, Miss. Master says it's time for you to go," she said in a shy, and afraid tone.

I nodded, "Of course, sweetie, what's your name?"

She bit her lip, looking around, then said, "Maria. But I'm not supposed to talk to anyone! That's what the Mistress said, and the Master agreed."

I scowled, "Don't worry about that. Your master is my dad, you won't get in any trouble with me."

She quickly nodded, "I have to go, goodbye, Miss." She said this, then ran off, dropping her bracelet. I picked it up, and looked at it. It was gold, and had her name encrusted into it. It was from her father, I realized, though I had a hard time reading it.

I ran after her, determined to give this girl back her bracelet. But before I knew it, I was lost. I started to just wander around, when I recognized one of the ghosts in the Field of Asphodel.

It was my mother!

I ran after her, demanding to know what she was doing here. When I couldn't understand a word she was saying, I knew she was dead.

I ran into my dad's throne room, not caring if he was busy or not. I seemed to surprise him, "What is she _doing _here? Send her back!"

His eyebrows furrowed, "What is who doing here?"

"My mom!"

His expression went blank, then he sighed, "I can't do anything," he said.

"Why the frick not? You brought me back!"

"Yes, because you're my _child_. She's a mere mortal, there isn't anything I can do for her. If I couldn't have stopped her from what she saw last ti-" he stopped talking then.

"What? What did she see? Tell me!" I demanded.

He ran a hand through his hair, "Your mother came here a couple years ago. How she got in, I'm not sure. She wanted to see me, wanted to talk about you. But before she could make it, she passed through the Fields of Punishment. She saw things so terrible, she was ready to kill herself."

There wasn't much I could do. I couldn't wipe her memory clean, then she would forget you and everything else. Then I spoke to my nephew, Dionysus. I told him to make her insane, that way she would forget all she saw here. He agreed, and now I owe him a favor."

I blinked, then my hands clenched into fists. "So you let him make her _crazy_? Gods! Just… take me back to camp already." I couldn't stand the sight of him, how could he allow that to happen to her?

But it doesn't matter…

My dad did, except he dropped me off in Manhattan, not at camp. I took a taxi to Half-Blood Hill, and though he was confused as to why I wanted to be here, I thanked the driver and paid him extra. I made my way up the hill, waving at the dragon, and he let me enter camp. I was dragging my bag behind me, which made it even more of a hassle.

As I was walking to my cabin, a small Demeter girl came running up to me. I didn't know her name, but I recognized her face. "Emilie," she cried out.

My eyebrows furrowed, "What is it?"

"It's Elena. She's been unconscious for a while now; She got hit in the head."

I began to run towards the infirmary, but the girl grabbed my arm. "You can't. Chiron and Mr. D want to see you."

I grimaced but nodded, walking in the direction of the Big House. How could I have forgotten about them? I should have known I would have been caught. The door was open when I got there, but I paused in the doorway, tapping my knuckles on it. "Knock, knock," I said.

They were playing cards with Grover, and when I tapped on the door, they looked up. Chiron raised an eyebrow at me, "Emilie, how good it is for you to finally make it."

I looked down, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Did you have a good time with your father?" Chiron asked, and I looked up. He was being nice. I thought he would at least get a little mad, and like, ground me or something. Dionysus, though, was a different matter altogether. He was just glaring at me, and it made me want to cower in a corner.

I nodded, giving- or trying to- give Chiron my attention. But I couldn't help but glance at him every few seconds, "Yes, I did. Sorta. Kinda. No," I finished, frowning.

"No?"

"It's kind of a long story, and I don't want to tell anyone, and-" I stopped talking, and looked away. I couldn't tell anyone about Nico or my mom, you know? It's family, and personal. The only person I would tell is Elena, and she's currently unconscious.

He nodded, "I see. Well, why don't you go and talk to Will? He's been looking for you," Chiron said.

I smiled slightly, "Thanks," I said, and turned around, heading towards the door.

I heard Dionysus say, "Why did you do that? She should be punished!"

I paused, turning around, "What is your _problem?_"

He stood up, "My _problem _is the fact that you think you can get away with everything! Do you listen to directions? Do you do as you're told? No! You don't!" He said harshly.

I clenched my jaw, "Well, I don't care for rules! I don't care for them at all! I'm not going to follow every demand, and I'm most certainly not going to listen to every _absurd _thing you say."

"Absurd? I'm a god! My word is law!"

I crossed my arms, "Is that why you make so many mistakes?" I asked.

He scoffed, "Mistakes? Such as?"

I glared at him, "Oh, I don't know, making my mother insane?"

He waved it off, "I did no such thing! I don't even know who your mother is," he said.

"My mother is the woman my father, Hades, asked you to brainwash. You know, the one who walked into the Fields of Punishment?" I asked him, angrily.

His expression smoothed out, and he paled. He opened his mouth, but closed it again. A few seconds passed, and then he said, "She was your mother?"

I didn't answer him, I just turned around and stalked out, stomping the entire way.

-xxx-

"Here, you need to hold it like thi- no! Don't point that at me!" Will said, trying to show me how to hold a bow. Again.

"I know how to hold it," I hissed, "Just give a minute, will you?" I asked, shuffling the bow around in my arms, getting a good grip on it.

I pulled the arrow back and released it, watching as it flew through the air and hit the target. "Well, it's not the bull's-eye, but at least you actually hit the outside rim of the target instead of the trees around it," Will said.

I sighed and lowered the bow, "At least I'm getting better," I replied.

He nodded, "That you are." His eyebrows furrowed, he was looking over across the range, and saw a little girl having problems with her bow. She was around nine, and I think she was his sister, "Hey, I'll be right back. I've got to help Kelly, is that okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah, sure, of course."

He grinned, "Thanks, Em. I'll be back in a flash," he said, then started running in her direction.

I sat down on the ground, watching him. He was such a good older brother, Kelly's lucky to have hi-

Before I could finish that thought, I was grabbed and pulled back into the forest behind me. I knew who it was immediately, kind of. I could smell the scent of perfume.

I was let go, and I was surrounded by the same group of girls who kidnapped me before. Aphrodite included. "Emilie!" Aphrodite squealed, obviously happy to see me, "I have a new idea."

_Oh gods_, a new idea. "Girls, go back to your activities, I'll speak to Emilie alone," she said, and all of her daughters, and a few sons, scurried off. She looked back at me, "As you know, we've been working on the masquerade ball," she said, and I nodded. "Well, you can't have a ball when nobody knows how to dance! So we're having dance classes."

I nodded, wondering what this had to do with me. I mean, the ball is for me, really. "But I already know how to ballroom dance, I've been taking lessons for years. Why do I have to take the classes?" I asked.

She grinned, "No, silly girl! I know you know how to dance," she shook her head, still smiling. "I've decided that _you _will be teaching the dance classes," She said, and turned around, walking in the opposite direction of where I was sitting. She paused, held up one finger, and said, "Oh, Will will be helping you teach them."

Before I could say a word, she snapped her fingers and disappeared in a poof of pink smoke.

I stood up, just noticing that my palm was scraped. I pulled a splinter out, and made my way over tree roots and bushes, getting out of the forest. As I was walking out, I noticed a green field not too far away. That would be good for- "Emilie. There you are!" Will called out, and I turned around. "Where were you?"

I shrugged, and shoved my palm towards him, "Fix it?"

He smiled, "Sure."

-xxx-

After will bandaged my hand up, I stopped by the Aphrodite cabin. They greeted me, and dragged me in. "Emilie, my mother gave me this dress today. She says it took a little while to make, but it would fit you perfectly. And when I mean fit, it'll fit your body and personality." Drew said, running to her closet.

She picked out a dress, which was long, even I could see that. Though, there was a wrap over it, so I had no idea what the dress looked like. "Can I see it?" I asked.

Drew shook her head, "Nope!"

"But _why_?"

"Because it's a surprise!" She said, then handed me a mask. "Decorate it yourself, and be up by eight tomorrow morning, because that's your first dance class starts."

-xxx-

I hate mornings. I hate them so freaking much.

I had to be up _before _eight, and that was something I hardly ever did. I can never go to sleep before three in the morning, and that's when I'm super tired. So, I wasn't in the best of mood when I woke up.

But once I grabbed myself some breakfast, I was better. I offered my dad some food- which was something I knew he didn't get often- and made my way to the area where they were holding the lessons.

Everyone in camp was required to go. I would be teaching classes all day, and kids would be rotating between me and their activities. It was going to be awful.

My first group was at least twenty people, and that was only the girls. Will decided that he would teach the boys first, then we would mix the boys and girls together.

"Alright, everyone! Today we're going to work on the easiest dance. Waltz." Once I said this, I heard murmurs of excitement run through the group of girls. I can just imagine what they're thinking, "_Oh, waltz! Maybe the guy of my dreams will come to me and we'll dance the night away!" _or something. I don't know, if only things like that actually happened.

I organized the girls into lines, and showed them the easiest moves I could think of. Then I had them start practicing. Some where good, but some where just _awful_. "That's great girls, your boxes are looking great!" I said, encouraging them.

I was glancing around, and I saw Dionysus leaning against a tree. He was watching me, that I knew, but I was still mad at him. I decided I would ignore him.

I chose to direct all of my attention to teaching these girls the dance moves they need to learn. One girl raised her hand, and I nodded to her, "Yes?"

"Would you show us how to spin?" she asked, and I grinned.

"Sure," I said. "Now, girls, what you want to do is take three steps, but keep the beat. It's waltz, you're not going to do one of those super fast turns like in swing. It's going to be nice and slow. Remember girls, be graceful…"

The girls seemed to be getting it pretty well, so I began to show them some more advanced moves. But that probably wasn't the best idea. "Emilie," one of my friends said- Jamie, daughter of Hermes- "This is kind of hard. I mean, I just don't get it. Could you dance it with a guy so we can see what's going on?"

I nodded, "Of course. I was planning on doing that soon, actually." I said, then called out, "Will!" He was across the dance floor, which was _really _big, but he heard me. "Bring the guys over here! Lets show them how the two parts go together!"

He gave me a thumbs up, which I guessed meant he was doing it. After a few moments, the guys made their way toward us. I motioned the girls to walk with me, and we met them halfway across the dance floor.

"We need a more efficient way of doing that," He said, grinning.

I waved my hand, "Nah," then I turned to everyone else. "Okay, so Will and I will show you how the two parts correspond with each other."

Will and I turned to each other, and it felt awkward. This was the first time we danced with each other, we hadn't gone over anything previously, but we talked about it. It was simple, we didn't have to dance it first.

We got into dance position, and he began to twirl me around in circles. "Will, this isn't what we showed them!" I tried scowling at him, but I was having fun. When he stopped, everyone was looking at us strangely. "Seriously." I said.

We began to show them what they were supposed to do, and they watched us intently. Some weren't paying attention, but those were probably the ones who wouldn't be going, anyway.

At the end, Will ended up spinning me again, and I began to laugh. I glanced to the spot where Dionysus was, but he was gone.

When we finished dancing, I paired the boys and girls up together, and watched as they awkwardly danced with each other. It was cute, in a really weird way.

The entire day when on like this, and though Will and I had a good time, it was quite tiring. I dragged my feet all the way to my cabin, collapsed on my bed, and took a good, hour-long nap.

-xxx-

Dinner was something I was looking forward to. I hadn't eaten much that day, and anything I did, I burned off by dancing.

I woke up a bit late, so when I got to the pavilion, everyone was already there. Will greeted me at my table, and grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Just go along with it," he said, and pulled me into the center, where there were no tables. He pulled me into closed dance position, and I realized what he was doing. "Will! We can't dance _here_, it's-"

"Emilie, chill. We're doing this to have fun," he paused, "and to show off."

"To show off? Then what were all of those spins earlier?"

He smirked, "Fun." And then he began to jive all around the floor. Jive is sort of like swing, at least, I tend to think so.

Will was a pretty good dancer, almost as good as my old dance _teacher_! He did a move or two that I didn't even know, I just had to make sure I followed perfectly.

Everyone was staring at us, and a handful of people even pulled out some popcorn. I didn't have to glance at Chiron and Dionysus' table, and I could practically feel their eyes on us. The Apollo cabin teamed up with the satyrs, and they were able to get some upbeat music going for us.

Towards the end, Will spun me around. Constantly. I'm surprised I didn't fall over, I was extremely dizzy.

When Will and I finished, we were out of breath. I was leaning on him, pretty much gasping. I haven't done that dance in _quite _a while. Every was clapping, cheering, heck, they were whistling at us.

We grinned at each other. "Okay, that was pretty fun," I said.

"You did great!" I heard Piper call out from the Aphrodite table.

Then, I heard Dionysus say, loudly, "Even _I _can do better than that."

Will smirked, "Then let's see you try."

The entire pavilion went quiet, even the satyrs stopped playing, and they're usual pretty out of it. My eyes widened. Dionysus gave Will a devilish grin, "I will," then stood up, and walked over to us, his head held up high like the proud man he is.

He stopped in front of us, placed a hand on Will's chest, and pushed him away. He then grabbed my hand, and pulled me into dance position. " Lindy hop," he muttered, loud enough for only me to hear.

To anyone who never danced before, that would sound absolutely insane. But Lindy hop is actually a swing-type dance, you know, the one where they throw you up in the air? Like in the forties?

I've only done this a few times, and I didn't have anyone carry me, I didn't trust my partner enough. But now, if he throws me in the air, I won't be able to stop him. I just have to hope he doesn't throw me too high, or that he'll drop me.

Now, I was a bit nervous. My old teacher didn't teach me much of this, and I didn't know what he would try!

The music began to play again, and we tapped out feet to the beat. Then, he pulled me around and we began to dance.

The dance was fast, like, _really _fast. Our feet shuffled to the beat, and I stopped breathing when he picked me up and brought me around his body. He placed me back on the ground, and I really had to focus to keep dancing when my feet touched the ground. We switched places multiple times- which was like spinning- and then he threw me up in the air, which caused me to flip.

He then flung me in the air, where I rested on his shoulders, then flipped over. This all happened in a matter of seconds, and I wasn't really aware of what I was doing, I was just following.

We did the continuously, adding different moves. Then he spun me around and dipped me, finishing the dance. As I was in the air, still in his arms, still in the dip position, he looked up at Will, "I said I could do better," and then he promptly dropped me.

He walked away, in the opposite direction, and sat at his usual spot in front of everyone, smirking like there was no tomorrow. Everyone ran to me, and some to him. I heard various versions of, "Who knew Mr. D could dance!"

And then a few people actually asked if I was alright. I said I was fine, but I was just… angry. He dropped me! He didn't even ask me to dance, and then he dropped me. He's such a… a… jerk!

I got up and made my way through the crowd, and into the forest. Everything has just been going so terrible lately, and I didn't know how to let my anger out. I heard a voice whisper through the wind, "Raise me…"

Who am I, Pocahontas? But I figured that doing that would be a great way to let my anger out. After all, as a daughter of Hades, I needed practice raising the dead. I saw the grassy area I saw early and walked to it, this would be perfect.

I knelt down, and started to say the words my dad told me. The ground started to break open in cracks, and a weird ghost thing began to float up. "Say this," it whispered, then said something in Greek. I repeated, and began to feel light headed.

I heard someone calling my name, but it was faint, and I couldn't stop speaking in Greek. My eyes were closed, and I could hear my name being called out again. It seemed like a whisper. Then I felt myself shaking, I couldn't tell if it was me or someone else.

I couldn't stop talking, like I said before, and it scared me. The whole process was incredibly painful. I felt my soul tearing out of my body, and I couldn't stop to scream. I didn't even pay much attention to the pouring rain.

But I was stopped.

I stopped talking, but only because somebody else's lips pressed against my own.

My eyes shot open, and I was finally aware of my actions. I pulled back, and saw that it was Dionysus who was kissing me. So he was the one who was yelling my name, and shaking me. "Wha-" I began to ask him what he was doing, but he wouldn't let me speak, his lips were on mine before I could finish the first word.

I know I was out of my mind, but I wrapped my arms around his neck and began to kiss him back. I was small, but I seemed to fit in his arms. Gods, I sound so cliché. His hands grabbed my waist and he shoved me against a tree.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, making out against a tree, in the rain. It may have been minutes, it may have been hours, who knows. I was in heaven. Scratch that, it was like I was on the Isle of the Blessed.

-xxx-

**Well, hi again. **

**Um… yeah, I don't think this is any good, but oh well! **

**Thank you for those of you who review! I really appreciate them. Like, a lot. I'll answer a few questions, kind of. **

**One of you asked if Dionysus and Emilie would have any kids together, and I can't tell you. I have a certain idea planned out, and you'll just have to read to find out. **

**(That was the only question I remember that was asked. But if you ask me questions, I'll try my best to answer them)**

**-Whitney **

**P.S. Oh yeah! And on my profile, I have a link to the dance Emilie and Dionysus are doing. It's not exact, but what I based it off of. They're the first couple who dances. **

**P.S.S Oh yes, next chapter is the ball, tell me if have any ideas or suggestions concerning the ball or story and general, I'd love to hear them. **


	8. Chapter 8

I've heard from various people before, including Elena, that kissing a guy you liked was amazing. That was when I was normal.

They were dead wrong.

I was kissing the guy I liked _and _a god. I mean, sure, Elena liked Apollo, but she didn't like him as much when they were making out as she did now. At least, I _think _they hadn't kissed since then, but Zeus knows what could have happened while I was gone.

But, again, this was absolutely _amazing. _Why is it that you think kissing, like, full on French kissing, is gross, but when you do it, it's not? It's weird, if I'd known this… I'd probably have kissed him a long time ago.

My clothes were soaked through, but I hardly noticed. I didn't care, well, at first. Something odd happened, the temperature dropped. Dramatically. It felt like late fall rather than mid-summer. I didn't pay much attention as to _how _it dropped, all I knew was that my clothes were wet and it was freezing outside.

Dionysus was warm, of course. But his hands were only gripping my waist, and the tree against my back wasn't helping, it seemed even colder. Oh, and there were his lips, but I won't get on _that _subject.

I tried not to shiver, tried to focus on the kiss. It wasn't that hard, I may have been cold on the outside, but on the inside, well, I might as well have been lava.

The temperature dropped again, and I couldn't help but shiver. His lips broke away from my own, and I could see his breath. Then, he moved closer to me, and I thought he was going to kiss me again, but he didn't. Instead, his lips traced my jaw line, and traveled to my ear. "I hope that wasn't because of the cold," he said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. He seemed very… smug.

So he _had _noticed the cold. I didn't understand, it was mid-summer, yet it was freezing. That couldn't happen. The only way the weather could change is if he wanted it to, an- wait. He wouldn't… I mean… would he?

He continued to whisper in my ear, "Or else-" but he cut off, no longer breathing, and his head snapped up. He was looking into the forest, which I couldn't see, it was too dark out. Isn't that a bit sad? A daughter of Hades that can't see in the dark?

He swore, grabbed my arm, and began to pull me away from the spot we were at. I suppose while he was pushing me against the tree, I didn't notice my necklace snag onto it, but it was too late now. As he pulled me, the chain snapped and it fell to the ground. His grip was too strong, I couldn't even bend down to reach it, let alone get away to get it.

I let him drag me, but it wasn't very fun. I was tripping over roots, sticks, bushes, you name it. I was just caught off guard when he started grinning.

Wait. Just, wait.

He doesn't do that, he doesn't grin, or smile, or look happy! He doesn't… it doesn't happen. He glanced at me, and I couldn't say anything to him, I don't know what to.

I tripped and began to fall face first, and when I was glad his grip was so tight. But then my gratitude turned into fear and surprise when he let me go. Just as I was about to hit the ground, an arm wrapped around my waist. I let out a breath of relief, that was _too _close. Though my hair was long, most of it was already touching the ground.

He pulled me back to my feet, and I glared at him. This seemed to set him off the deep end. He threw his head back and started laughing. I crossed my arms and sat down on the ground, glaring at it. Whispers began to form around us.

His head snapped back, and his expression was… terrified? At least he wasn't laughing anymore. He quickly- and when I say quickly, I mean _quickly_. Gods have some super fast movements and senses. The can hear better, see better, do everything better, and still be faster and stronger than any of us. He knelt down in front of me, and lifted my chin up, making me look at him. "Don't do that," he commanded.

I tried to look down again, but his hand wouldn't let me. I kept my arms crossed, "I can handle it," I replied, but my voice was so quiet, I could hardly hear it myself.

His hand slid to the side of my face, and then his other hand went to the other. If I couldn't look away then, I most certainly couldn't now. His face got close to mine, but not close enough for our lips to meet. "No, you can't."

I was getting angry. Who was he to tell me what I can, and cannot do? "Yes, I can! I said that I can handleit. You can't _stop _me from doing it," I said defensively.

"How are you in your right mind? I _know_ you're not insane, you're thinking clearly, though it seems like you aren't. Do you _want _your soul to be torn from your body like it nearly was today? _Do_ you?" The tips of his fingers seemed to tangle themselves in my hair, his palms resting on my cheeks, and now his face was so close I could feel his cool breath on my face.

I had completely forgotten the cold air at this point.

I knew he was right, but I couldn't admit it. "It's not like you care," I mutter, which was kind of stupid. He doesn't seem like the type who would kiss just any girl- well, at camp, anyway. He seems to hate most of the people here. It's just that I couldn't think of anything better to say.

"Not like I…" he muttered, not even finishing it. His hands were still on my face, but he was looking away. A few moments passed, and suddenly he was kissing me again. I didn't see him move, one moment he was staring at a nearby tree, and the next his lips are crushed against mine.

I was sitting criss-cross, and he was on his knees, leaning over me. His left hand had tangled itself completely in my hair now. "How. Many. Of. These. Will. Convince. You?" he asked, kissing me in between each word. I wasn't sure what he was trying to convince me anymore.

Before I could pull away and answer him, he pulled away himself. He glanced around again, and pulled me up onto my feet with ease. Then, he grabbed me by my shirt. His usual smirk was back on his face, and I didn't know what was going on.

But only seconds later Chiron stepped before us, and I realized he was waiting until the last possible second to pull away. Dionysus pushed me forward, "I found _it."_

I stumbled forward, and Chiron raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked him.

Dionysus shrugged, "I found it."

Chiron sighed, "Was she missing?"

"Yes." He said

"She was?" Chiron asked.

"You didn't notice?"

"No," Chiron said. "You went looking for her?"

"No!" Dionysus said, grimacing. "So a son of- daughter of?- godly, immortal person- Ella, no. I found _this_!"

"It's Elena, Dionysus. She's been unconscious for awhile now."

I could see his jaw tighten. Then, he asked, "Do you think I _memorize _all of her friends? I don't know who they are! All I know is some young girl accosted me. And I do not like to be near campers. So I retreated to the forest." Ah, there's that snaky, witty person we all know.

Chiron seemed to believe him a bit more. He turned to me, "Dear, what were you doing in the forest?"

I needed to come up with something good, and fast. Chiron knows Dionysus wouldn't go after me unless it would get me in trouble. I made myself blush, which was harder than it looked, and looked down. "Well, um… he caught Will and I…er…. Kissing." Don't judge me, it's the best I could come up with in five seconds.

"In the forest? At this time of night?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, pretending to be embarrassed. "Yeah… for privacy, you know? With so many campers, there are so many interruptions!"

Chiron's eyebrows furrowed, "Emilie, you realize Will is quite a few years older than you, I hope."

I shrug, "Age doesn't really matter to me. As long as he doesn't look like he's, like, thirty, I'm good," As I said this, I realized it wasn't about Will.

I dared to glance at Dionysus, and he was glaring at everything in sight. "Where is Will now?" Chiron asked.

"He ran off before I could catch him," Dionysus said, answering for me. I nodded.

"Ah, well, I see. Emilie, child, you must be punished. Both you _and _Will," Chiron said.

I grimaced, realizing that I'd have to get to Will before Chiron did, asking him to cover for me. Chiron turned to Dionysus, "Why, may I ask, is it fifty degrees in the middle of _summer_?"

"Perhaps I want it cold," he replied.

Chiron raised his eyebrow again, "But you hate the cold."

Dionysus snapped, "I'm a _god, _I have a right to change my mind!"

Chiron raised his hands up, his palms forward. "Dionysus, calm yourself."

He shook his head angrily, "I'll do whatever I please, Chiron," he said, and stalked off, muttering a string of curses the entire way. Chiron looked a bit paler than usual, but I would think he would be used to Dionysus' constant cursing. Especially since he sucks at cards.

"Are you _sure _it was Will you were…kissing, Emilie?" Chiron asked, and I flexed my fingers.

"Who do you think I am, Chiron? Some kind of whore? One who doesn't even know who she's kissing? I'm insulted!" I screamed out, and started to run through the forest. I tried my best to dodge the things that I tripped over earlier, but I didn't have that much luck. I suppose Nike doesn't like me much…

It was probably like, ten or something now. Everybody was supposed to be in their cabins "sleeping," but come on, nobody's ever asleep before eleven. I banged on the Apollo cabin's door, and one of the younger girls opens up.

She's familiar, and I realize it's the girl he was helping, Kelly. She doesn't recognize me, though, because she's staring at me with a blank expression, and I realize that her older siblings must be keeping her from her sleep. "I need Will," is all I say, and she understands what I mean. Usually, younger kids and I have this sort of pact. I tell them what I need, and they help me out. In return, I help them out with something they need later on or I just stay out of their way.

She disappears into the cabin and comes out with Will a minute later. He tells her to go to bed, and she nods and runs off. He steps outside, shutting the door behind him. "Emilie," he says, his tone worried. "You don't usually pay me nightly visits, what's up?"

"Will," I begin to say, feeling desperate, "I need you to do me a favor."

-xxx-

Aphrodite is the scariest woman I know. Period.

After I talked to Will, I walked a few cabins over and knocked on their door. They knew I was coming, and pulled me in before my second knock. Aphrodite was in there, patiently filing her nails. "Finally!" she said, sounding exasperated. "I thought you'd never come."

She pulled me into a separate room, away from her nosy children, sat me in a chair, and demanded to know what happened. "You already know," I said, "you probably planned the whole thing."

She grinned, "Oh, I didn't. That was all the two of you, I just wanted to help. I _did _send Chiron, though."

I frowned, "Why?"

She laughed, and it sounded even more beautiful then bells chiming. "Because! The two of you probably would have gone _way _too far, and if you did go that far, it would need to be special."

I wished I hadn't asked, because now I couldn't look her in the eye and was blushing like crazy. "It's okay," she says, "it happens to everyone. Oh, and I realize you haven't been working on your mask… pity. Oh well, I'll make yours myself, you probably wouldn't match your dress!"

I nodded, "Yeah, probably wouldn't match," I repeated.

She sat down, and leaned forward, resting on her hands. "So, what do you think?"

"Of what?"

"Dionysus, of course! What do you think of him? Eros and I haven't paired up in years, but you, my dear, are a rare case. I wanted a second opinion, and he said that you two were perfect. What do you think?"

I couldn't answer. I didn't know _how _to answer.

"Oh, don't answer now! I'll give you time," she said, replying to my silence.

I only nodded.

-xxx-

The rest of the week went by in a blur. I would wake up, get breakfast, teach classes with Will, go to dinner, and then go to sleep. I hadn't seen Aphrodite the rest of the week, and I have a feeling I would see her soon.

Dionysus and I would meet eyes at dinner constantly. And when we did, a grin would break out on both out faces. Then, we would look down or away, but we would look at each other again, and again.

It was odd, seeing him happy with so many people around, but I didn't mind. Not one bit.

-xxx-

The dance classes were going well. I was still teaching them with _Will_, and the boys were girls were almost always dancing together now- Chiron was keeping an eye on everyone. It's not like anyone would try anything with people watching, anyway. Elena was still unconscious; I hope she wakes up before the ball.

And then there was Aphrodite.

The little- I'm serious when I say little. She was some sort of anorexic person

or something- sneaky goddess kept putting trinkets in my bed at night. At first, it was a necklace.

"Shit. What in my father's name is stabbing me in the- the Hades?" I said, gripping the metal. It was an onyx, to match the cabin. It wrapped around my neck, about one or two centimeters in width, and split once it reached my neck. There, on both sides, it had two shapes resembling axes. Then, in the middle, was a ruby about four centimeters in length, and in an oval shape. I swore to gods that it could have cost ten thousand golden drachma.

"Why is… I just… ugh. Sleep now. Think later." I grumbled, rolling over, after placing the necklace on the stand.

And then, the next day, it happened again.

"Who the Hades keeps leaving things in my bed?" I said, looking at the onyx earrings. They matched the previous night's necklace. Did I have some kind of tooth fairy-like stalker?

It took me a while to figure out that it was Aphrodite who was doing it. The third night, I got something _really _strange.

I got a tiara, which seemed rather odd. Wasn't this a masquerade ball? I don't think a tiara would work! I mean, if I wasn't wearing a mask… Oh. Aphrodite said she would take care of it. When Aphrodite is in charge of my entire outfit, I should have realized she's going to make me a freaking princess. Literally.

The tiara itself was beautiful. It wasn't _too _big, and was made out of ruby and onyx. Just like the other jewelry that was given to me. It matched the other two perfectly, so I set it beside them on the dresser next to me and drifted to sleep.

I really wished I hadn't.

-xxx-

I couldn't think of how I had gotten those gifts, I mean, who would buy _me _something?

"The Hermes cabin suddenly robbed a bank, and had good taste. No…. Definitely Aphrodite. Sneaky little…" I muttered to myself, pacing through my cabin.

I felt the pain before I realized the window was broken. I looked down at my chest, and saw a golden arrow sticking through it. _Apollo_.

I saw him step through the door, a bow in hand, his blonde hair waving around in the wind. I've never hated him more, "Huh. I've always wanted to do that, sweetheart." He said nonchalantly. He looks down at me, and frowned. "You Hades kids always take too long to die. I learned that when I killed Bianca. And Nico, too."

What? Nico! He may have tried to kill me, but he's still my brother! "What?" I croaked, my blood spilled onto the floor where I was now lying on, getting blood all over the floor. He killed my siblings? Didn't Percy-

"The gods, everyone but Hades, was in on it. Elimination of the weak." Another voice said, black hair and green eyes peering in the doorway. He was leaning up against the frame of the doorway.

"Why?" I whispered, staring at nothing.

"It's simple. We get to live. They don't. We were never really as innocent as the scribe made us out to be." He said, and then another god joined him and Apollo. My vision was getting fuzzy, but it looked like… Dionysus?

Oh gods no!

"Elen-" I started to say, but started to cough up blood.

"Hmm?"

"Why-" I coughed, and I could feel the sticky warmth run down my arms.

"I love Apollo. Simple." She said, and laughed. Apollo bent down and kissed her. It was full of lust, and I could see he didn't really love her; Percy looked away. Another figure came up behind, and he linked hands with the person. Annabeth too?

"What-what's happening?" I asked, panicked. I knew I was going to die. It was obvious. But my stupid genes were keeping me locked in agony. And the arrow was keeping me pinned to couch next to me. Flames licked the doorway, but Percy pushed them back. They wouldn't let them claim me yet.

"We're destroying camp. Once and for all." Annabeth said, brushing soot off her pants.

"The demigods?" I tried to say, but it came out more like 'themigds?'. She seemed to understand however.

"We locked the cabins with the power of the gods."

"How- wha? What about your children, Apollo?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"What about them? Half mortal. They shouldn't exist." He had wrapped his arms around Elena, who was staring like she didn't care. She probably didn't.

"Elena is mortal!" I yelled. I didn't care anymore.

"Not for long. She's going to be a goddess, soon. Then we can have a lot of _godly_ kids." At that, Elena grinned.

"Bye now, Emilie." She said, and then, I died.

-xxx-

You would think I would wake up by just the nightmare, or even my own screaming, but no. I was woken up by being shaken. I jumped up, holding up the knife I hid under my pillow.

"Gods, girl, I didn't come to kill you!" Nico said, shaking me. I was still screaming, but then, I realized it was just a nightmare.

"Wha-what?" I asked, disoriented. I sat up, and shook my head. When I realized it was Nico, I screamed again.

He jumped forward, covering my mouth with his hand. "Shut up! Someone will hear you!"

I stood still, but stopped, and he let me go. "Isn't the cabin soundproof, though?" I asked.

He grimaced, "To _demigods_, but to gods, and centaurs, your screams will be as loud as a dragon screaming!"

I frowned, "Oh…"

"Yes, '_Oh_,'" he said, let me go, and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes shut closed, and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, then opened his eyes again and looked at me. "What was the nightmare about?"

I shrugged and look down, "Not much, just my best friend turning against me and all of my family dying. You know, the usual."

He shrugged, "Well, at least your not having the ghost dreams, those will make these dreams seem like walks in the park," he said.

"Ghost dreams?"

He shook his head, making his black hair fall in his face, "It's a long story." He took a step forward, "Listen, Emilie-"

I held my hand up, and cut him off. "No. That's quite alright, I don't want to hear it." I may want him to live, but I'm still incredibly mad at him. He tried to _kill_ me, why should I trust him.

"Emilie-" he started again, but I cut him off a second time.

"Get out!"

"This is my cabin, too!"

"Gah!" I screamed, then stormed out of the cabin, slamming the door on the way out. I was halfway across camp when I realized that I was still in my pajamas. When I realized, I only rolled my eyes and continued to the Big House. I entered the main room, and saw Chiron and Dionysus playing cards. "I absolutely _refuse _to share a cabin with that.. That…. Stupid jerk!" I yelled, stomping my foot for emphasis. Sure, I seemed like a bratty teenager, but I didn't care.

Chiron looked startled, but Dionysus didn't look up from his cards. "A king of hearts?" he asked Chiron, not looking at me.

I clenched my hands into fists, "_Dionysus_!"

He laid his cards on the table, dramatically sighing, crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and looked up at me, "Yes?"

"Do something about Nico!"

He only raised an eyebrow at me, and Chiron chose to spoke up. "Emilie, we can't just tell him to leave. It's his cabin, too."

I frowned, "I'm not going to share a cabin with someone who tried to kill me. Either you kick him out, or I'm leaving."

Dionysus sat up straight very quick when I mentioned that, "He tried to _kill _you?"

I nodded, "Yeah, in the Underworld. He started going on about how Bianca was never brought back and blah, blah, blah. It's one of the reasons why I was so upset when I got back."

Chiron sighed, "There isn't anything we can do. If you want to leave… so be it. But we can't make him leave his own cabin," he said.

I glanced at Dionysus, he was looking away, and I knew there wasn't anything he could do. My head dropped and I left the big house without a word.

-xxx-

"What have you been up to while I was asleep?" Elena asked me, leaning against my cabin with me. The cabin I would probably end up leaving.

I smirked, "I wouldn't call being in an unwake-able state of unconsciousness for a week 'sleeping'," I said, rolling my eyes. "Sometimes, I just wish we were normal mortals. Life would be so much easier."

"Indeed. But, life is more fun this way!" She said cheerfully, and I snorted.

"Have you been taking happy-pills, crack, or did you get hit on the head just a little too hard?" I asked, and she was the one who rolled her eyes this time.

"Neither! Or whatever you say for three," she said, and I shook my head. Then, I began to fill her in on the details of what happened while she was unconscious.

"Okay, so… Well, I taught the dance classes," I said hesitantly.

"And?"

"Ah, um, well, I danced with Will, and we taught everyone how to dance. And I kind of danced with Mr. D in front of everyone at a dance off…"

"Wait, what?"

"Will dragged me to dance at the pavilion, in front of _everyone _and Mr. D said he wasn't very good. Will challenged Mr. D, wanting to see who was better. Mr. D won, of course, but in the end, when he dipped me, he dropped me."

"Oh… well…"

"And then later on, the next day, we ended up making out in the forest."

"What?"

"Yeah, I found out that spirits try to steal your soul…So when I tried to do some zombie-rasin', the weird spirit thing controlled my mind and nearly made me trade my soul with his."

"What happened? And how did you end up kissing?"

"Well, then Dionysus- yes, I call him that- saw, and he tried stopping me, but I wouldn't stop talking, chanting, summoning, whatever. So, you can only guess how he stopped me… He grabbed me and kissed me, which made my lips too busy to talk…"

"So, are you and Mr. D… like, _together_?" She asked, and I sighed, shaking my head.

"I wish I knew."

"Ask him?" she asked, and I nearly laughed at the absurd suggestion.

"That would be lame," I replied.

"So… Are you going to the ball with him?"

"Don't know," I said, knowing that going with him was totally out of the question. Showing up at the ball with Dionysus would cause commotion, that was to say the least

I looked at her, "How much do you like Apollo?"

My question seemed to surprise her, "A lot. Probably more than I should." She sighed. "He's going to end up breaking my heart."

At least Apollo hasn't been _married_ before…

"If he does, we have a_ lot_ of people we can send to kick his ass," I said. "And then we can beat up the Apollo cabin, who will be guilty by association."

"I'm glad to see I have such great friends."

"Great _friend_."

"Right."

-xxx-

I wish I could say I was used to the Aphrodite cabin kidnapping me, but that would be a lie. As I was walking, I didn't know where I was going, a few of the girls surrounded me. One raised an eyebrow, and I sighed, holding my arms out and let them grab me.

They pulled me back to their cabin and placed me in a large, pink satin chair. Aphrodite appeared in front of me, and I swear she seemed to change appearance _again_! And now she looked even more beautiful, is that even possible? Her hair was now black and curly, and she seemed pale but her cheeks were pink. Her facial structure was pretty much the same, but only a few differences… Why on Earth does she look so familiar?

She grabbed a hairbrush and began to run it through my hair, "You're hair is so pretty… It's a shame we're going to have to cut it all off."

My eyes widened, "What?"

She laughed, "I'm only kidding. I won't cut it, but I'm going to many things to it."

My eyebrows furrowed, "Like what?"

She shook her head, "You'll see. Go off to lunch- oh! No, we have to at least have you change first," she said and snapped her fingers. I was in my camp T-shirt, but I was wearing a black skirt. A _short _black skirt. And heels!

Oh gods… "Have fun!" she cried out, pushing me out of the cabin. My hair was in a messy bun, and I can only _imagine _what I look like.

A daughter of Nemesis walked up to me and we began talking. We made our way up the Pavilion steps, and bid our goodbyes as we sat down at out tables.

I sat down, ordered my drink, looked up, and caught the eyes of Dionysus. When our eyes met, he raised an eyebrow. I knew exactly what he was saying, he was referring to the freakishly short skirt I was wearing. I blushed, and shook my head, averting his eyes. Why did Aphrodite have to dress me in this awful thing?

Oh well, lunch has been served.

-xxx-

I did as I was told and returned to the Aphrodite cabin after lunch. "I hope you filled yourself up, because you won't be going to dinner," Aphrodite told me.

"Oh… good."

She grinned and led me to another room. It looked just like a beauty salon. She pushed me into a chair next to a bejeweled sink, and ordered me to lay my head back. I did, and she got one of her daughters to wash my hair. They used some sort of special shampoo and conditioner, because when my hair was dry, it couldn't tangle. At all. It wouldn't happen.

Aphrodite turned to Drew, "I need you to wax her eyebrows, Dear," she said. She looked me up and down, "And everything else."

Drew did as she was told, and by everything, she meant _everything_. Even my bikini line, which _hurt!_ I'm convinced my screams were heard all over camp.

When she finished, Aphrodite took one glance at me and said, "Good, now we can get started."

That wasn't starting?

She brushed my hair again, and put it up, telling me she would do it after my make up. She shoved something in my mouth, which tasted awful, and told me it would whiten my teeth.

She worked on me for hours, and I wasn't even allowed to see myself once. I was a bit hesitant when she brought out the curling iron, but I knew that the goddess wouldn't burn me. "Why don't you just snap your fingers and consider me done?" I asked.

She grinned at me, "Honey, sometimes, things look better if you do them the old-fashioned way. And what I mean by that is, they look better if you do them yourself."

I didn't argue with her after that.

A little while later, she made me shut my eyes, and threatened to turn me into a frog if I had opened them. I slipped into my dress, shoes, and she put the jewelry on me. I felt her place the tiara on my head, "What, no mask?" I asked.

I could hear the smile in her voice, "No, you're the princess of the evening. There's no need to cover you're face. You look just like-" she started to say, then stopped.

"Look like who?"

"Never mind. Here, look in the mirror!"

She led me to a mirror as big as a wall! But when I saw myself, I was so surprised, I nearly fainted. I was _pretty_.

My dress was strapless, and reached the floor, even with my black stilettos on. It was completely black, and looked gorgeous. I took a step forward and noticed my dress change. Well, not change, just moved. There was a crease, and I yanked it, proving that there was more to my dress than it seemed. Inside there was more than just black. There were red material roses sparkling from the large crease, and they complimented my makeup, which I had just noticed. It was black, giving me that sexy, smoky look, and I had super red lipstick on. My onyx and ruby necklace really made everything go together, though. . I looked… hot, which was awesome.

I turned to Aphrodite, smiling, "Thank you. ..But, are you sure I shouldn't have a mask? I feel weird without one."

"No," she snapped. "Go, have fun, dance."

"But Lady Aphrodite-"

She waved her hand, "Fine, have your way, but believe me, you're going to take it off," she said, and a simple black mask appeared in my hand.

I nodded to her, and walked out.

I was amazed by what the power of gods and goddesses could do. The grass and dirt pathways were gone, replaced with a brown and gold dance floor. I mean, the dance floor was _everywhere_, it was as if the entire camp was an outside dance studio.

Surrounding the dance floor/ground were floating balls, which were real small. A few followed me, lighting the way to the major party, festival thing. There were people by the cabins, yeah, but they were all kissing. The pavilion area will be where everyone is.

The cabins had an aura of gold. Yes, even my cabin, the dark, depressing one. I walked to the main Pavilion, the largest of them all. You see, there were several large dance floors, but there was a super one in the middle. It's like… comparing Wal-mart to Super Wal-Mart.

I paused outside the pavilion, seeing that Dionysus was announcing it. He wasn't very hard to see, with him levitating in the air and all. He was dressed casually, in leopard skinny jeans and a red T-shirt, and I felt disappointed. He wasn't even planning on actually attending the ball, there wasn't even a chance I could dance with him. I gasped, he might not even see me!

I decided to go to the largest one, where he was, and I saw that at the far, far end, there were tables full of food and drinks set up. It seemed some satyrs with nothing else to do would be waiting everyone.

The entrance was amazing, that was to sat the least. There was a group of stairs, sort of like you would see in a castle, and it had golden rails and flowers falling down continuously. I stopped at the top step, seeing hundreds of couples already on the dance floor. I knew that most of these kids didn't even stay here for the summer, most came just for the party.

I saw that Apollo's muses were playing the music, which didn't surprise me in the least. What did surprise me, though, is when they stopped dancing to look at me. Because they looked at me, everyone else did, too.

I heard multiple gasps, and I realized now that my black mask was still in my hand. I've been so busy marveling at camp that I had forgotten to take it off. But, luckily for me, Dionysus was still here, and he was staring at me along with everyone else. His mouth was hanging open, his eyes were wide, and I blushed, looked down at my shoes, then looked up again. For the second time that day, our gazes met. I placed my hand on the railing and began to walk down the steps, praying to the gods that I wouldn't trip and fall on my face.

Thank goddess they were listening.

When I stepped on the ground floor, everybody went back to what they were doing, and the Muses began playing. As much as I was glad most eyes were off me, I rather liked his reaction. I glanced back to the spot where he was… er… levitating, but he was gone.

I sighed and looked around at the people. The girls' dresses were amazing, but I have to say, mine is probably one of the best. I smirked, and got some punch. But when I took a sip, I nearly choked. Connor and Travis had spiked it already!

"You look pretty," Will said, approaching me.

I grinned, eyeing his mask with yellow suns painted all over it, "You look pretty nice yourself."

He offered me a hand, "Care for a dance?"

"How could I say no to a face like that?" I asked, teasing him. I took his hand, and he lead me onto the dance floor. A waltz began to play, and we began to lazily move around the floor.

He grabbed my mask, which was still in my hand, and shoved it in his pocket. "Don't you dare put that on," he said, "You look much prettier without it."

I smiled at him, "Thanks. I… guess I'll leave it off, I don't think there's any way of me getting it back from you, so I'll just have to be the only one without one."

He grinned, "Of course."

The song ended a few moments later, and he let me go. "Thank you for the dance, Em," he said, and stepped back.

A daughter of Athena stepped forward, and I could see how much she liked him. She glanced at me, and I nodded, smiling. She grinned, and mouthed "Thanks." It was only a matter of minutes before they were dancing. They looked like they were really enjoying themselves.

I looked around again, and saw Annabeth and her mother, Athena, arguing. "_Mother,_" Annabeth said, her hands clenched into fists. Her mask was on the floor, and I could tell that Athena had taken it off and smashed it.

"Don't do this," Athena said, she and Annabeth seemed to be having a stare-down. Annabeth looked tall, she looked confident. Like she was a goddess herself, she didn't seem afraid of her mother's cold stare.

"I'm going to. With or without your permission," she said, but her expression softened and she began to look desperate, "_Please_."

"You're going to regret this," Athena said, and Annabeth looked at Percy, who was laughing with a couple of friends. Nearly everyone in the room was oblivious to this entire confrontation. But in the crowd, I noticed Elena watching as well.

Annabeth walked away from her mother, and was only a few feet away from Percy when she fell. Or collapsed. Or fainted. Or whatever she did.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried out, kneeling in front of her. She was already starting to get up, and pushed Percy away.

"I'm alright. Percy, you can let go now. _Percy." _

"What happened?" said one of the few from the crowd beginning to form around them.

"You should get Will or one of his siblings to check her out," a girl suggested.

"I'm a son of Apollo!" some idiot cried out, and I wanted to smack him.

"It isn't necessary!" Annabeth cried out, and grabbed Percy's hand as the made their way through the crowd of curious people.

I knew what happened the moment I saw Athena's expression. It was obvious she wasn't happy with her daughter, and though Athena was the goddess of wisdom, she was also goddess of battle. She had a temper, just as Ares did, she just didn't show it as much. But come on! People seem to have never heard of the story of Athena and Arachne.

Athena had put some sort of curse on Annabeth, and I knew that she was going to regret it. By she, I mean both Athena _and _Annabeth, though both may not realize at the same time.

I was surprised when I felt a presence behind me. "Would you care to dance, Beautiful?" someone whispered in my ear.

I looked up to see, well, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome! He was dressed a classy black tux, and had a red tie. His mask was also black and red, and he looked… just, gorgeous.

He seemed familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen him before.

I blinked at him, "Uh.. I…er… no. It's… It's Bachata Tango!" I exclaimed, trying to form actual words.

He smirked, "And the sky is blue, and grass is green."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Well, I thought we were talking about things that didn't matter. Come now, one dance, that's all I ask," he said, his voice a purr in my ear. I just couldn't say no.

"Okay, fine, one dance."

He grinned, bowed, and offered me a hand. "One dance then, Beautiful," he said, and I grabbed his hand.

He pulled me onto the dance floor. We started hand in hand, and when a new Bachata song came on, he rolled me into him, and we got into dance position. He pulled me down, where my knees where touching the ground, and his hand slid down my back. It went lower than most guys would even _dare _to go, and he pulled me close to him. We rose back up, and that's when the base of the dance began.

I wasn't breathing, and when I took the occasional breath so my lungs wouldn't burst, it was a quick one. Forward, side-together, back, back. This was the basic steps, and I couldn't help but go along with the odd moves that he did without warning me.

Halfway through the dance he pulled me even _closer_, and because I was so short, my head was in the crook of his neck. I didn't mind.

Everyone who was there was staring at us now. I think I had even more eyes on me now than I did at the entrance!

There was a pause in the song, and our dance, and I took these few seconds and ran my leg up his, kinda like you would see in those sexy dances in movies and on Youtube.

He ended the dance with a dip, and we were staring into each other's eyes. …His were purple.

_Dionysus_?

I was so shocked, I couldn't move. Could it be him?

As everyone clapped, he pulled me up, wrapped an arm around my waist, and forced me to walk away from the center of the floor. He pulled me to the table with the different colored drinks, and got me the steaming red one. I knew that the drink was probably spiked, too, but who cares?

I took a giant gulp, and was glad my throat didn't burn like the last time I drank alcohol like that. The man in the mask took a sip, raised an eyebrow, tilted his head back and drank the entire cup in a matter of seconds. I suppose he was used to alcohol content.

Another reason why I think he could be him.

I opened my mouth to say something, but before the words had a chance to escape my mouth, I heard a guy yelling. Scratch that, I heard _Elena and some guy yelling. _"You can't leave me!" he screamed out.

"We were never together!" She yelled back in reply. The guy's hands clenched into fists, and then he pushed her against a pillar and began to kiss her.

My eyebrows went up, and so did about everyone else's. This was proving to be an interesting night.

With my awesome daughter of Hades hearing- though it _still_ wasn't as good as a god's- I heard the guy whisper, "Do you _want _to be?"

Chiron stepped forward, shoving a few kids to get through the crowd. "Ahem, please, no kissing on the dance floor."

The guy froze, and I could sense he was extremely irritated. He pulled back, glared at Chiron, and pulled off his mask.

_Apollo._

I should have known!

But damn, he's a god with balls. If he can show _everyone _that he's a god kissing a demigod, he's not ashamed of her, and I respect him a little more for that,

"I'm a _god_ Chiron, I can do whatever the frick I want," he said, and Chiron raised an eyebrow, and coughed.

He couldn't deny a god, especially as one as powerful as Apollo, anything.

"Everyone, get back to, er, dancing. And Lord Apollo, to eh, whatever you were-" Chiron was saying, but was interrupted by a green mist surrounding everyone.

"_Two forbidden daughters,_

_In madness and in wine,_

_One will drink thyself to death, _

_And only one shall be fine._

_A goddesses fear is soon to be true, _

_Look in a land of snow,_

_A silver bow must be found,_

_Before fate's thread is unwound."_

I could hear Rachel's voice mixed with the Oracle's, and the first line of the prophecy replayed itself in my head. "_Two forbidden daughters…_"

Well, fuck.

The arm around my waist tightened, and it seemed like he wouldn't let me go.

"I just said a prophecy, didn't I?" Rachel asked, and most people nodded. There were also a few "Yeses," that went through the air.

"This cannot be good," Chiron said, and frowned.

He clapped his hands together, and he had everyone's attention. "All head counselors to the rec room! Except Percy Jackson. He is to stay and watch over the ball, which is to resume now." Chiron looked at Elena, "Elena, come. You are acting head as councilor. This concerns you."

All head counselors headed to the rec room, but I stayed. I mean, I'm not allowed.

The man in the mask pulled me outside, into the dark and crisp air. It was cold out again, even though it was summer.

"Nico left after you refused to talk to him, you're the head counselor of your cabin, you need to go." he said, and as I pulled away, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

The man in the mask put his hands on each side of my face, and began to frantically kiss me on the lips. I finally got a good whiff of him, and he smelled of grapes. It was at that moment that I knew I had been with Dionysus the whole time.

-xxx-

**I rather like how I ended it, don't you? The story get's **_**a lot **_**crazier from here, let me warn you. And I seem to have a thing with ending chapters with the two of them kissing. Damn. I should really stop doing that. **

**Oh well. How did you like it? Did it suck? **

**Let me know in a review!**

**There's another dancing video I wanna show you guys, my inspiration, and pretty much their entire dance! I'll post in on my profile. Oh yeah, and did any of you even watch the other one?**

**Oh! And please, if you haven't done so already, read Elena's story. It's like, freaking amazing. **


	9. Chapter 9

Some days, I just hate people.

As it ends up, today is one of those days. When children of the gods argue about anything, especially war, things get a bit messy. And no, I'm not talking about the blood that could possibly, and is usually, spilt. I didn't like how they were yelling, screaming is more like it, at each other about absolutely _nothing_.

All the heads of the cabins were here. The seating arrangement was… well, like the Olympian council. Dionysus and Chiron were sitting on the ends of the large table, and it went in the order of how powerful your parent was. It went Jason, me, Elena, Will, Annabeth, Pollux, Travis and Connor- cute trouble makers they are- and a bunch of other people who were so unimportant I didn't feel the need to learn their names. It was weird. Not only the fact that I was now _part _of this meeting, but also because everyone was still dressed up, though they took their masks off. I left my tiara on, but that was only because Piper shot me a dirty look when I went to take it off.

Rachel was here too, which made me nervous. I had a bad feeling, something I get often.

They were all fighting over who the "forbidden daughters" were, but it was obvious, wasn't it? It was Elena and I. "You probably have all come to the conclusion that Emilie and Elena are the ones referred to in the prophecy." Chiron said, and a few kids nodded.

I glanced at Dionysus, who was sitting at the end of the table, six seats away from me. I didn't like how we couldn't just sit next to each other, like Elena and Apollo. Well, Apollo was standing over her, his hands on her chair, but that was more than what I was getting.

Gods, have I ever mentioned how much I hate it when people argue? I mean, I know _I _do it, but when other people do… I just want to bash their heads into the ground or something.

"Would this effect the other p-" Rachel began to ask, but Apollo, being as rude as ever, cut her off.

"No! Don't talk about that," I could only imagine what the other prophecy was. If it was _that _bad, we should know it, right? To know what was to come?

Chiron shook his head, "No, this would be effected by the other prophecy."

Rachel's eyes widened, "So, then the other is going to die?" she asked, and it confirmed my fear. One of us was going to die, and I was going to make sure it was me. I couldn't let my best friend, my _soul-sister_ die. And besides, I'm a daughter of Hades, I'm sure I can get extra privileges.

But to my surprise, Elena stood up. "No!" she said, "I won't let _anyone _die!"

Rachel shook her head, and sighed. She looked at Elena, sadly, "You cannot change fate. Bad things have happened to heroes who've tried."

"It is a quest, still. The goddesses call must be answered." Chiron said, his hands folded in front of him on the table. I couldn't help but look at Dionysus again, who was leaning back in his chair, his feet propped up on the table. He was back to the outfit he was wearing before the ball, sadly.

"The goddess would be Artemis, wouldn't she?" Katie Gardner asked, flowers in her hair, She was pretty nice for a daughter of Demeter, she didn't freak out on you when you stepped on a flower.

" '_A silver bow must be found,'"_ Rachel repeated, and nodded.

"Then what's her fear?" Alex, child of Nyx, asked, his elbows on the table.

"That isn't anyone's concern," Apollo said, his jaw clenched. I could tell he didn't like this at all, "It's mine." I saw Elena glance back at him.

"Alright…" Chiron continued. "Her bow is missing. Her symbol of power. It was most likely stolen by a demigod. We hoped this situation could have been avoided, with all the children being claimed."

"She hasn't vaporized anyone yet, like Lord Zeus when his bolt was stolen by Luke." Annabeth said, finally speaking up. She didn't look afraid, or ill, like she did earlier, and I'm glad. She needs to be strong, to be smart. She needs to help the people here.

"And none of our siblings are missing," Travis said, Connor shrugged.

"Dionysus? Do you know what this part about you is about?" Chiron asked, looking at him. Dionysus waved a hand through the air, and a wine glass appeared in his hand. He caught my eye, and I gave him a knowing look. He blinked, and waved his hand again, an diet coke replacing it. Instead of grimacing, like he normally would, he answered Chiron. "Not a clue."

"So, basically, Emilie and I have to go on a quest, find Lady Artemis' bow in a snowy place, and one of us must die- all before someone's life starts over?" Elena asked, and I looked at her. Wait, what?

"What?" Rachel said, her head snapping up. Elena shrugged.

"I figured '_before fate's thread is unwound,'_ means someone's life is starting over. Like rebirth." Elena said, and I felt myself pale. I should have realized this, as a daughter of Hades. But… it didn't seem right to me, but I decided not to speak up. I could be wrong.

"That makes sense!" Rachel exclaimed. "Maybe this quest won't end in death!"

"We still need a third person," I said, grimly. "I prefer seven," which was actually ancient to the Egyptians, " or thirteen," which was just unlucky, " but to the Greeks, three is sacred."

"I'll do it," a masculine voice said, speaking up through the silence. I'd never heard this voice before. A guy, probably twenty or twenty one, who had ashy blonde hair, and looked… he looked… so much like _Dionysus._

"Pollux, no." Dionysus said, and I realized that the guy, Pollux, was his son. I couldn't imagine him being very father-like, but I could see him trying.

Pollux persisted, "I need to do this, Dad. I can _feel_ it. '_In madness and in wine, One will drink thyself to death,'_ That refers to me. I'm not that great with a sword or bow," He said, glancing at Apollo. "but maybe I can do something about this. I'm the son of the God of Wine and Madness."

"No."

Pollux continued, "Dad, really. I've never been on a quest, and you promised me. This is my chance, and you know it."

"No! Don't argue with me, Boy."

I hated it when people argued, as I said before. And when a father and son did it, it was worse! I slammed my fists on the table, standing up, "Shut up! Fine, Pollux, you can go. Just _shut up._"

"I think he's right, Mr. D." Rachel said, looking at him.

"Didn't you just say that fate wasn't to be messed with?" he snapped, and Rachel rolled her eyes, obviously enjoying the immunity that being the Oracle has given her. Obviously she didn't know what happened to the last one, the one my dad messed up.

"If fate cant be changed, then there isn't a problem, is there?" She asked , and I decided to speak up, before he cursed her or something.

"Then it's us three?" I asked, "Elena, Pollux, and I?" Dionysus, though not happy, nodded, as did a few other campers.

"Yes. Now go! You have ten minutes to get changed. Katie, you and Connor get them all rucksacks with supplies."

"We're leaving _now?_" Elena asked, "It's nearly midnight. And none of us have slept at all."

"You slept for a week, so you have enough stored up for everyone," Apollo said, and Elena glared at him, as she was allowed to do so without getting burnt to death.

"Are you _happy_ I'm going on a quest? I could die!" she said, angry. I should have given her tips on arguing with gods, seeing as I'm the expert. Eh, I may not like it when other people argue, but when I do it, I don't mind. I don't think I'll be stopping anytime soon.

"No, but the other prophecy says-"

"You mean the one _no one will tell me?_" she yelled, gesticulating. "Why hasn't anyone just killed me yet, if it's so damn important!"

"Maybe they should have!" He screamed back at her, and everyone was now watching them.

"If _that's_ the way you feel, I don't want to ever see you again!" she replied, then screamed- as a pissed of teenager would, as I have- and ran out.

I shot Apollo a dirty look, "I'll be talking to you _real _soon, Mr. Sunshine," I said, and ran out after her. I was too late, though, because she ran into her cabin and locked the door.

Percy was running to his cabin, holding two backpacks. He shoved mine into my arms, "Make sure she doesn't die, will you?" he asked me, and I nodded, running to my cabin. I didn't want her to see me lurking outside. She'd probably call me a shadow-stalked or something.

I entered my cabin, which was at the end. The twelve Olympian gods were in the first row, like a horseshoe, and they added my father's cabin at the end. Then, all the other gods were in rows behind the major twelve, plus number thirteen.

I entered my cabin, dropped my bag by the door, took off my shoes and threw my tiara onto my bed. I went to take off my dress, but I couldn't unzip it! There was a knock at the door, "Elena?" I called out, but it wasn't her voice that answered.

"Sorry, no." It was Dionysus.

I opened the door, a hand resting on my hip. "What do you _want_?" I asked, clearly not happy.

He raised an eyebrow, "I thought it was obvious. I need to talk to you."

I blinked, "Oh," I said, and stepped back, making a gesture with my hand to tell him to get in.

He glanced around at my cabin, which wasn't actually that messy. There was just… a bunch of clothes on the floor, but that would only take, like, a minute to clean up. "It's still as black and red as I remember…" he said, and I tilted my head to the side.

"What?" I asked, then I remembered that one day with the note. The note I still had. "Oh, right." I bit my lip and looked around awkwardly. I turned my back to him, "Unzip me."

His eyebrows furrowed, "You want me to unzip your dress?"

I sighed, "No, I want you to unzip my hair- yes, my dress!"

I lifted my hair up with one hand, and held the front of my dress with the other. He bought his hand up to the top, where the zipper was, but his hands lingered there, touching my back.

He gripped the zipper, and slowly brought it down. I think he made an effort to touch my back the entire time, because there wasn't a moment where his hands weren't touching my skin. I could feel his breath on my neck. "All done," he whispered.

"Thanks," I replied, and I let my hair drop. He went to leave, but I stopped him. I grabbed the back of his shirt with one hand, the other still on my dress. "No. I mean, you need to talk to me, right? Just… turn around, or something."

He sighed and turned around, crossing his arms. He began talking as soon as my dress hit the floor. "One of you is going to die."

I sighed, searching my little area of the cabin for some shorts. "Yeah, I know," I said, finally spotting a pair of black jean shorts that go halfway up my leg. I slipped into them, then buttoned them. I looked around, hoping I had a clean shirt. I meant to put them into the hamper for the harpies, or someone, to get, but I just haven't had the time to. I felt a like I should have at lest gotten a few shirts clean, I'd rather not run around in shorts and a bra. "I'm going to be the one who dies."

I was taken by surprise when I was turned around. He grabbed me by my upper arms, turning me around, making me face him. My eyes were wide, and I stared at him, unable to make myself move or speak. "No, you're not!"

I blinked, "But I'm a daughter of Hades. If anyone is going to die, it's gonna be me. At least I'll have some advantages in death," I said, calmly. But then I looked at my walls, seeing my odd pictures of monsters, places, people, all things I didn't know and have never seen before. And yet, I knew every nook and cranny, I knew everything about it, just in that moment in time. I don't know what it is, but I feel like… I feel like The Receiver, from the Giver book I had to read in eight grade.

"You can forget it," he said, "that's not happening."

"There are only two people that make this life worth living for, and by having myself die, I'm saving them," I whispered.

His grip on my arms loosened, but he didn't say anything. I didn't risk looking at his face, "How would you dying save… _them_?"

I laughed, though it was a bitter sound, there was no humor in it. "Elena is my best friend, I can't have her die. If she dies, I wouldn't be able to live with myself, she's practically my sister. And…" I stopped talking, trailing off.

"And?" He seemed bitter, too. Did he not get that I was doing this for him, also?

"Castor died a few years ago, did he not? If Pollux were to be the one… Well, I don't want _another _one of your sons to die. I figure with me out of the picture, you don't have to worry about him dying, so you'll, you know, be happy-ish. Well, the way you have been, I don't know if you would call that happy." He stared at me, "What?" I asked, "I'm just telling you what I've been thinking. Of what I'm planning."

He shook his head, sighing, though I caught him smirking a bit. "Oh you stupid, stupid girl," he said, then muttered, "and to think that _you _of all people would be the selfless one. Just my luck." But despite his words, he lifted his hand up and cupped the side of my cheek, running his thumb from my cheekbone to my jaw. "Did you not think, you silly girl, that you are needed in _other_ people's lives? How would your friend, Elena, react if you were the one to die? Or your father? Or friends? And, how would this leave everyone, if you were to die in a few days?

Your brother would feel guilty for not being able to patch things up between the two of you. Your father would be _insanely _angry, as you know he would, as he can't bring a person back from the dead twice, not without proper payment. And Elena again! How would she cope, knowing she couldn't save you? Your death would ruin them, Emilie, if you realize it or not."

I closed my eyes, breathing in his scent. "And how would you cope with me gone? What would you do?"

He seemed surprised by my question, "What _I _would do? I would-"

There was a knock at the door, and a familiar voice followed, "Emilie? Are you ready yet? Can I come in?" Pollux asked, right outside.

I pulled back from Dionysus, who I realized was awful close. "No! I'm not decent!" I frantically looked around, looking for a shirt, my cheeks reddening from realizing I wasn't wearing one that entire time, but was stopped when I felt a shirt being pulled down on me. I stuck my arms up, and he pulled the shirt down, dressing me. Gods, what was I, four? Could I not dress myself?

I stepped on the edge of one of the lower bunks, stepping up at least a foot so I could get up to his height, and kissed him on the cheek. I hopped down, and he gazed down at me. He sighed, and it was a sigh that sounded like he had lost. He brushed a stray piece of hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear, then tilted his head to the side, thinking. Then I saw a mischievous glint in his eye.

He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me down onto the bed I stood up on, making me let out a loud squeak. "What are yo-" I began to ask, but he cut me off by kissing me. His arms were around my waist, and our legs were tied together.

What was he _doing_? His son was right outside the door!

He rolled us over, so now I was underneath him, and he propped himself up on his elbows. He began to kiss down my neck, before muttering, "Just in case." Then, much to my demise, he got off me, and stood a few feet away, leaning back on my desk.

I only had time to sit up before Pollux walked in. He looked at me, "I thought I heard you scream."

I shrugged, "Well, I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow, "Purple, nice. I thought all you wear is black," I looked down at myself and realized the shirt that Dionysus dressed me in was purple. Of course it was. Dionysus snickered from across the room, and Pollux looked at him, his eyebrows furrowed, "Dad? What are you- never mind, I'm not even going to ask."

Dionysus smirked, "Wise choice, Boy."

Pollux rolled his eyes, but grabbed my backpack, which was identical to his, off the ground by the door. He motioned for me to follow him. "It's time to go," he said, pushing his blonde hair out of his face with his free hand.

I nodded, "Okay," glanced at Dionysus once, and walked out, leaving the door open. Pollux met with Elena halfway between our cabins, talking. They didn't glance at me once, and I ran back to my own cabin, nearly tackling Dionysus in a hug. Thank goodness he was a god, because if he wasn't, I'm sure I would have broken a few ribs!

He hugged me back, of course, and he lifted me up and spun me around in multiple circles, before setting me down and whispering, "Now, go retrieve my sister's bow."

It was when I left my cabin did I realize there was a necklace in my hand.

-xxx-

Another thing I hate are buses.

Elena fell asleep once she sat down, but that's what I expected of her. Though, I thought Pollux would do the same. I sat down at the end of the bus, keeping to myself. There was hardly anyone on it, and I wasn't even sure where we were going.

After a while, I just laid my head back on the seat, staring at the seat. I wasn't surprised when I felt the seat shift, I already heard him walking over. "She's out of it," he muttered, looking at Elena.

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, I know. That's kinda what happens when people don't sleep."

He sighed, "What are we going to do? Do you have _any _idea where we should go?"

I knew he was serious, and I sighed also. " '_In the land of snow_,' so… somewhere with snow. Since it's mid-summer, I figured Canada or something would have snow. That's where we're headed, though it'll take at least six hours or so to even get to Canada. It's only been two now."

He nodded, "Yeah, Elena mentioned something about Mt. Logan, so I suppose that's our destination."

I grinned, "We have a plan. Great."

He nodded and rested his head back as I did before, and it wasn't long after until he fell asleep. I was tired, yeah, but I was still wide awake. I looked out the window as we traveled, and more and more people got on the bus.

I took my necklace off my neck. It was the one I left in the forest, though my old charm was gone. It's okay, though, it was a cheap charm in the first place. Replacing it was a grape vine with a few grapes on it. It was emerald and amethyst, I suspect. I put it back on, and sighed, trying to get more comfortable.

I think it was around four when we were attacked.

You know, being a daughter of Hades and all, you would think that any of the Furies would listen to me, right?

Wrong.

Some old lady dropped her purse, and being the nice, generous person I am, I helped her out. I knelt down and picked it up, and when I looked up to give it to her, she was a fury!

I jumped back, tripping over someone's feet, and falling on my butt. Not a smooth move….

Luckily Pollux was closer than anyone else, so I shook him, trying to wake him up. Thank goddess he did. He eyes shot open, and once he saw the fury, he jumped up from his seat. I unclipped Parafrosyni from my hair, and as she turned into a sword.

I was a bit unnerved by what it said, though. "The Master _knows_, demigod. Master Hades is displeased with you, he has ordered your death. I follow my Master's orders!" And then, it promptly dived right at me. There were two other Furies who came in, one was tearing the bus up, and the other was attacking Pollux.

I rolled out of the way, and I remembered the time Elena was the object of the Fury's attention. Wait, "Elena!" I cried out, as a Fury clawed at the walls of the bus.

After a few times of yelling her name, she finally woke up. She stood up, and charged at the one on the left. I hissed as it scratched my arm, but kept fighting. Elena slashed at hers with her sword, and it turned to yellow dust. The other two fled, screaming the entire way.

I kneeled over, breathing heavily. I saw the other's do the same, and I saw that the people, mortals, on the bus where staring. What had they seen?

"Looks like this is our stop." Pollux said, and walked off the bus.

"It's only four in the freaking morning, we should be on that bus for more hours than that," I muttered, turning to the mortals. I saw Elena follow Pollux out of the corner of my eye, but lifted my hands, getting the mortals' attention.

I snapped my fingers, manipulating the mist, and said "You will not call the police."

As I ran off the bus, pushing Elena down the few steps that there were, she raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if it worked or not, but I tried to manipulate the mist," I said.

"I hope it worked- otherwise we're going to be hunted down in a few hours." Pollux said, and glanced around. "Where _are_ we?"

Elena shrugged, "I can only tell on water."

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't even find my way around the Underworld, let alone the actual world. "No idea. My specialties are raisin' the- ouch." I said, grabbing my arm. I frowned, seeing blood on my ripped sleeve. I was hurt _already?_

"Hey, are you bleeding?" Pollux asked, grabbing my arm. I winced, which was silly, because the cut wasn't even that deep

"No, Pollux, my arm is on its period," I snapped, "Of _course_ I'm bleeding."

"Maybe we should get you bandaged up," Elena said, piping up. I nodded and sat down on the grass.

Pollux opened his backpack and pulled out a roll of bandages. He wrapped them around my arm, making sure not to make it hurt too much. He did a surprisingly good job. "Thanks," I said.

He waved it off, "It's fine, really. Can't let you bleed to death, now can we?"

I smiled and shook my head, "Yeah. Are you alright?" Elena asked, and I nodded.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" I asked, looking at her, then at Pollux.

She shook her head, "I don't know. I suppose we should start moving though, before those Furies come back."

"The Furies are under your dad's control, right?" Pollux asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, they said something about you. It's like, your dad didn't sent them after us, he sent them after _you. _Have you done anything to upset him? To upset the gods?"

I paled a bit, "Er... not that I know of. My dad's a moody god, you know that. He just needs someone helpless to take it out on," I said, looking at the ground. The thing was, I _have _done things to upset him, and that comment might have made him even angrier. If he wanted ir to, the ground could swallow me up.

Elena snapped her fingers in my face, "Emilie, are you okay? You seem out of it."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, stop asking me," I said, swatting her hand away. "We'll go on foot."

"_What_?" She and Pollux both asked.

"You both can walk, can't you? Get over yourselves and grab your backpacks, we have some hiking to do."

"But Em, we can't! Surely we can find a car..."

"No, Elena, we can't draw too much attention to ourselves. We'll be fine, a little walking never hurt anyone."

"But this will be more than just a 'little walk'," Pollux said, being the pessimistic person he is.

"Well, once we get far enough away from here, I'll steal a car. Okay?" I said, glaring at him.

Elena snorted, "You're no child of Hermes."

"Oh? Well, let me see _you _hot-wire a car, and we'll see how many remarks you make." I replied, and she didn't say anything after that.

After that, I grabbed my bag, and walked ahead of them. I turned around, yelling, "Are you coming or not?"

-xxx-

I walked ahead of them, seeing as it was easier to protect them that way. After around an hour of walking, I came across a sign that confused me. It shouldn't- we couldn't have- _huh_?

"Guys…. How long were we on that bus?" I asked, glancing at the sign. It said, "Welcome to Montreal, Canada."

-xxx-

**So, yeah. This one is a bit shorter than usual.**

**Okay, so you know how Riley always posts before me? Well, next chapter, I'll be first! (I'm sorry if it'll be a giant fail)**

**Oh damn. I forgot to wish you guys a happy Thanksgiving, didn't I? Crap. Well, happy (late) Thanksgiving! I **_**do **_**sincerely hope you prayed to Demeter, the gods know I did. **

**Well, I decided that Emilie and Elena can't spend the entire story in camp, don't you agree? So a quest it is. Oh, and I've got to love Pollex - though I love his dad a whole heck lot more ;)**

**Oh, and you know how Riley told you about her whole "Blue sheet" ordeal? It's not my fault I was so confused. We were talking about the huntresses and then all of a sudden, she's talking about sheets. You would be confused, too. **

**So, Hades knows, it seems. I wonder what he's gonna do next….**

**-x-**

"**Lord Hades, **_**please **_**stop unleashing the dead on campers- their parents don't appreciate it," Chiron said. **

"**Then tell your "precious camp director" to stop trying to fuck my daughter!" Hades yelled in reply. **

**Chiron sighed, "Personal affairs of Mr. D do not concern me."**

"**Then expect more of the dead!"**

**-x- **

**Okay, there. That's not **_**actually **_**going to happen, that's one of the really weird, but really funny texts that Riley and I have exchanged. We did a few others, but **_**those **_**are too much into the future, things that you guys can't even know about yet. **

**So… yeah. Review. Please. **


	10. Chapter 10

"Emilie, c'mon, it's freezing out," Elena said, rubbing her arms. I could see the goose bumps on them.

I grimaced, continuing to walk. It wasn't that cold to me, I felt fine. But I suppose being a daughter of Hades helped with that. In the Underworld, it's nothing but shadows. So it's rather cold. Well, despite all of the fires. "Let's keep going," I said, "just for a little longer. Things should get warmer." I glanced at the newly rising sun.

I caught Elena staring at it, and I sighed. This was something I didn't get. Usually, her and Apollo would have those cute, couple-y moments. Dionysus and I would be the ones to fight. But this time it was flip-flopped, and I didn't understand. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but fighting is in _our _nature, most of the time we either don't mean it, get over it, or apologize in different ways. Elena and Apollo… well, it's not their nature to fight, it's foreign to them, so when they do fight, it's going to be harsh.

"We've been walking for hours now," Pollux said, coming to Elena's aid_._

"Can we sit down and rest?"

I wrinkled my nose, thinking, then I let out a breath, giving in. "Okay, okay, fine. Stay here, I'll get a car."

"But you have no idea where to go," Pollux said.

"Yeah! And you hate Canadians!"

I opened my mouth to protest, but Pollux asked why I hated Canadians. I glared at him, "Justin Beiber comes from Canada," I said.

He nodded, "Enough said."

I grinned and pointed to a spot next to a tree. "Don't move. Because if you do, I will track you down, and kill you."

Pollux raised an eyebrow, and Elena snorted. "You're kidding, right?"

I smirked myself, "Oh, you would think so."

They looked at each other, and I took that chance to run off. I didn't know where to look, of course. I decided running in a random direction would be good.

-xxx-

The woods, forest, whatever it is, was all… nature-y. It kind of reminded me of Artemis, which wasn't too far off, considering she's the goddess of the Hunt, and all.

I guess running in a random direction was good, because I arrived at a small house. It was more like a cabin, really, but it works!

There were two cars parked in front of it, and they sort of puzzled me. There was a black Mustang, with a red stripe, and in front of it was a crappy, white van. The kind of van that made you think a rapist was inside, trying to kidnap little kids with candy.

_Well_… some choice, right? Hah.

I took the Mustang, of course, despite the attention it might bring us. It was a pretty car! What other reason do I need?

Thank goddess I knew how to hotwire a car. A couple of pot-heads showed me a few years ago, never thought I'd do it, but it's a great skill to know.

I glanced back at the house, and I knew that if I was going to steal this, it would have to be now or never. I broke into the car, _without _breaking a window, and the car alarm went off. I only had about a minute or so now. I broke the lower part of the car off, right below the seat, and started shoving wires together.

Some guy, probably in his fifties, came out with a shotgun. My eyes widened, and I didn't feel relief when the car turned on. I shut the door and stomped on the gas pedal, trying to get out of his driveway. He shot at me, and I didn't get shot, luckily. But there were a few dents in the car.

Damn fucking Canadian!

I drove back to the spot where I told Pollux and Elena to stay. And guess what? They were gone. They did the exact opposite thing I told them to do. They left. Now where'd they go?

I got out of the car, and I was about to freak out, but then I heard snickering above me. I didn't look up, I knew they were there, "Okay, _fine. _They can walk by themselves, while I have a nice, _heated _car with me," I said, and I heard a gasp.

I began to walk away, back to the car, and smirked as I heard two thumps behind me. "Emilie! You got a car?" Elena asked, but I didn't bother to answer her. I just kept walking.

They followed me. When I reached the car, I walked over to the drivers side, opening the door, standing right outside of it. I could feel the warm air touching my skin, "Are you getting in, or what?"

Pollux did the exact opposite thing I thought he would. He raised an eyebrow at me, but said, "Shotgun," before Elena could even think about it.

She blinked, then cried out, "No! I want it!" and they both raced to the car, grinning.

I rolled my eyes and watched as they fought over the seat. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop. Neither of you will sit in the front. The back it is for the two you." They frowned, but complied. Gods, I feel like a mom or something. …That would suck, wouldn't it? To be a mom at sixteen? But I know for a fact that, that will _never _happen to me.

Once their doors closed, I began to speed away. I smirked to myself as I heard the roar of the engine.

"Where's this mountain, Elena?" I asked, focusing on the road.

"Er… Quebec?"

I let out an angry huff, "'Kay, cool, 'cause now I totally know where it is. Thanks."

Pollux stood up for her, "None of us live in Canada, okay? Chill out, Emilie, we'll find it. There's a map back here," he said, opening it up and pointing at a road, "just keep driving."

I did as I was directed.

I don't even know how many hours of sleep I had gotten earlier. Either way, I was exhausted and was ready to fall asleep any minute. Once I felt my eyes droop, I pulled over, and let my head bang against the steering wheel. …The horn woke me up.

I glanced at the backseat, where both of them were staring at me. "Hypnos is trying to claim me," I explained. "Pollux, take the wheel."

"Why not me?"

"Because the last time you did, you nearly drove us off a cliff."

She let out a huff, and I fell asleep. I didn't even bother to move out of the driver's seat. I was that tired.

-xxx-

I was in a bright-green meadow, where the sun was shining, and there were flowers everywhere. It was… the perfect meadow, really.

I hated it.

I squinted my eyes, sunlight and I didn't get along very well, which made sense. Apollo and I… we're natural opposites.

Speaking of Apollo, he was sitting next to me, and I didn't notice. I jumped when I saw him, and he smirked. "What am I doing here?" I asked.

He shrugged, "You said you wanted to speak to me, didn't you?"

"Well… yeah."

"Then speak."

"Uh…"

He rolled his eyes, "What, Fury's got your tongue?"

I blinked, "No, no. I just… don't know how to say it? I'm not in one of my bold moods, actually. But… I suppose I could give it a shot." I said, then took a breath, lying down in the grass, my hands behind my head. "If you want her dead, you should just say so."

"I don't want her dead," he said, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Oh? Because that's not what you said before, nor is that what she believes. Seriously, if you want her dead, I can make it happen," I said this, not meaning it, of course. I was just provoking him, "I'm a daughter of Hades, you know, it would be as easy as snapping my finge-"

"I _do not _want her dead, you stupid demigod! Don't you understand? I-I…" and for once, the god of the sun was out of words.

I stood up, brushing myself of. "You what? Never mind, I don't need to know. At least, I don't think. Just… don't let her do drugs, get drunk, _again,_ or, you know, get her pregnant. Then I'd really have to kill you! Wait… I can't kill you… Oh! You can fade, so I'll uh… make you fade if you get her pregnant or hurt her."

His expression went grim when I mentioned him fading, but I ignored it. I learned that ignoring their anger might make things a bit better. … or not.

I tilted my head back, looking up at the sky, screaming, "Morpheus! You can… er… take me someone else now!"

Thank goddess he did.

-xxx-

I woke up in the backseat of the car, curled up, and there was a jacket on top of me, Pollux's. I heard them talking. Elena was in the front seat, and thankfully, Pollux was driving.

"Does she even know what she's doing? Doesn't she have a plan at all?" I heard him ask.

Elena sighed, "Not really, no."

"But what about-"

"I came up with the whole mountain thing. She's trying, Pollux, she really is."

"I don't know why she's trying to be so strong, trying to be strong for all of us, but it isn't working."

"I think I know why," Elena said quietly.

"Oh?"

"Well, in the prophecy, it said someone dies. And, I guess she's dead-set on it being her." she said, and there was a long pause. "Well?"

"Actually, I think I would rather it be her than you."

"How could you say that? She… she…."

"She's your best friend, I know. But maybe she won't, she seems to know something," he said, a bit of frustration in his voice.

"What do you mean?"

"My dad was in her cabin when I got her for the quest. They were talking about something, I know that. Something was going on."

I fingered my necklace, and continued to breath deeply. I still needed to pretend I was asleep.

Elena sounded… nervous, "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it's fine…"

"I sure hope so."

-xxx-

"Emilie?" Pollux asked, glancing at me through the mirror.

"Yeah?"

"I think we should switch back, I need to catch up on my sleep, too."

I nodded, "Sure, sure. Stop off here," I said, sitting up.

Elena frowned, "When can I drive?"

I grimaced, "Eh… how about after me?"

She seemed to brighten up, and grinned, "Sure!"

Pollux pulled over, and we switched places. He was asleep before I even began to drive. I guess quests tire people out. I knew that once we were back on foot, we wouldn't be able to sleep that much. So, I suppose getting as much sleep as we could now would be good.

Elena fell asleep after a while, too, and it was just me and the open road. We had refilled on gas a few times, and now I had to do it again. I pulled into the first gas station I saw, and began to refill the car. It was then when I realized.

I heard two men talking, and I stared at the ground, focusing in on their conversation. "See, three demigods right there. Let's grab them now!"

"Shut up, you fool! Patience is the key. Wait until the short one goes inside the store, we'll grab her, then the others."

Oh gods.

I decided that pretending nothing was wrong was the way to go. The others were asleep, so they wouldn't be able to keep me from doing what I was about to do. I unclipped my sword, which was in clip form, and clipped it to one of my belt loops on my jeans. This would make it easier to access later.

I walked into the store, but once I was inside, I rushed. I grabbed a bunch of things, food, drinks, gum, a few magazines even, and waited in the line. There were too many people ahead of me, and as I saw the two men enter the store. I swore. I looked at the things in my hands, then ran out of the store, right past the two guys.

"Hermes," I said, praying out loud, "if you like me _at all_, would you please make sure I don't get killed, caught, or arrested? That'd be cool, thanks." Is that how you pray? I never really know how, I just sort of… talk to them, I guess. But hey, sometimes it works.

A few alarms went off, and I heard yelling. I ran to the car, and heard the loading of a gun. What was with Canadians and guns?

I shoved the stuff on Elena, who was sitting next to me, shut my door, and pressed my foot hard on the gas pedal. This seemed to wake them up. Pollux sat up, rubbing his eyes, "What's going on?" he asked, but because he just woke up, his words were slurred. But I knew what he meant.

"I'll tell you later, but right now, we have to get out of here!" they kept silent as I drove, though I knew that they so badly wanted to ask questions.

The sound of the roaring engine and the wheels on the road didn't sooth me this time. If anything, they made me more on edge. Though I try to deny it, I'm not that good of a thief. Elena was right, I'm no child of Hermes. There are probably tons of pictures of me from the cameras in the store. The police, or whatever they're called here, are probably trying to find me by now.

When I was finally a good distance away from there, I slowed down. Just enough so I could drive and talk at the same time. "You guys are probably wondering what that was all about," I said.

Elena nodded, "Uh, yeah. At least, I know I am," she said, glancing at Pollux.

He nodded, too, "Yeah, I'm wondering as well."

I grimaced, "Well, I uh… I kind of robbed the gas station we went to."

"You _what_?"

"Heh, yeah…"

"Do you know how _stupid _that is?" Pollux screamed, running a hand through his hair. "The cops could be on our tails right now!"

I grimaced, "See, I _knew _you would be mad about this."

He rolled his eyes, though it was in a mocking matter. "_No._"

"Okay, I know this is bad, but we can get out of it! I mean… we can… I uh…. Crap."

"Crap _indeed_. If we get arrested, it's all your fault!"

I frowned, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't go blaming this on me, if you heard what I did-"

"And what did you hear?"

"Two guys were going to kill us. I overheard them talking, and they said that once I go inside, they'll grab me, then the two of you."

"That's the most moronic thing I've ever heard! Gods, are you _stupid? _What are you, Hercules?"

"Do _not _compare me to that idiot!" I said, snarling. Despite the movie Disney made, the actual Hercules, who is really Heracles, was a totally idiot. He had a temper, killed his family, slept with fifty women thinking they were the same one, and just… screwed his life up. I don't blame him entirely, though, Hera had a lot to do with it.

"How can I not?" Pollux asked, and I was getting angrier and angrier with him every second. "Your actions are similar!"

"Pollux-" Elena said, trying to reason with him. I cut her of.

"Stay out of this, Elena. This is between me and him."

He smirked, "You know what? I think _you _stole the bow!"

I gasped angrily, "I did no such thing! How could you even _think_ that?"

"Again, how can I not?"

"You don't trust me."

"No, I don't. Especially because you're a daughter of, well, you know-"

"-Hades."

"Yes. We all know Hades is cruel, and spiteful, and will do anything to get ahead. Even if it means getting it through his daughter."

My hands clenched into fists. How _dare _he say that? First of all, my dad would not send me to steal the bow. Second, I wouldn't even if my dad asked! I stepped forward, slapping him in the face. "Well, I see how much I'm wanted here!"

Pollux, who raised a hand up to his cheek, sneered. "You're not wanted at all!"

"Then I'm leaving!"

"Good, go!"

"I am!" I screamed out, so completely frustrated. I grabbed my bag from below the seat, opened my door, and stormed off. I heard a car door open, and then running. Elena was beside me in a moment, and she was looking at me in confusion.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, grabbing my arm, stopping us both. "You know Pollux doesn't mean it. Neither do you, we're all just frustrated. We haven't done anything but kill a few furies."

I rolled my eyes sarcastically, "Elena, Elena, Elena. We both meant what we said." I ran a hand through my hair, and then looked her in the eye. "Go back to Pollux, do this quest with him. I'll do what I can on my own."

I began to walk again, and she yelled out, "Stop! Stay with us!"

I laughed, which made me sound insane, and started running. As I was running, I looked over my shoulder, and replied, "Not a fucking chance!"

Elena didn't reply, she only looked at me in horror. I turned my head around to see what was so terrible, and only had a seconds notice to see the cliff. Duh. We were on a mountain. How stupid am I? I stopped just in time, "I'm alright!" I yelled out.

"Well, damn," Pollux muttered, still in the car. It's weird, how I hear things. I turned around to give him the finger, and by doing so, I lost my balance.

As I fell of the mountain, I heard Elena scream. Falling down a mountain isn't as fun as it sounds. I'm not falling right by it, I'm tumbling down _on _it. I was getting cut, scraped, and bruised. When I finally hit a small platform made of rock, I let out a breath of relief.

Then, much to my luck, I heard the rock cracking. I didn't have much time, and I'd rather be splattered flat than go through that again. So I jumped off, now falling next to the mountain. I squeezed my eyes shut, and though I should have been praying to my father, all I could think of was Dionysus.

But something surprised me, and no, it wasn't death. I felt the familiar sensation of shadow-traveling. I felt the coolness of the shadows surround my body, but the coolness didn't leave. I cracked on eye open, and when I caught a glimpse of the area around me, I froze.

Both my eyes widened, and I stood up, though my legs were a bit shaky. I was surrounded by snow, white, fluffy snow. It was everywhere. Wherever I looked, there was snow. My vision was blurred, and it wasn't just because I hit my head on my way down. There was a strong wind, and snow was blowing at me from all directions.

_Now _I was cold. I only had a thin-layered jacket, skinny jeans, and converse on! Well, there was my bra, shirt and panties, but those didn't help. At all.

I wrapped my arms around myself, and began to walk. I found it rather… difficult. I knew for certain that I wasn't in Canada, and even if I was on a mountain- which I was sure I wasn't, the area was flat- it wasn't anywhere near where we were.

I don't know how long I walked. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. All I knew is that when I saw that cave, I felt like I would collapse. By then, and normal mortal would be frozen solid. Heck, most _demigods _would be frozen solid. I was lucky I wasn't normal.

Glancing back at the snow I walked on, I saw bits of red. Of _course_ I left a trail of blood! Why didn't I know I was going to?

Shaking my head, I entered the cave. Inside it was warmer, but not by much. Icicles hung from the ceiling, and ice covered the floor. Like and ice rink. It would be pretty, if I wasn't, you know, freezing.

I collapsed on the ground, curling up in a ball. Even my weird daughter-of-Hades powers weren't helping me anymore. When I heard running water, though, I was a tad confused. I lifted my head up, and saw a fountain a few yards into the cave. Being the curious person I am, I made myself stand up, and walk over to it.

It was a large fountain, and was than I was! It had multiple layers, and _very _descriptive carvings. It was glass, or maybe ice? But on the top, there was something in it. I could see it through the ice-glass thing. It… it was a silver bow!

I began climbing, and once I touched the fountain, the water in the lower levels froze. I reached the top, but when I put my hand in to grab it, it burned. Terribly! I yanked my hand out, but it was too late. My hand, it was raw. There was blood running from it, and there was a singing pain- which wasn't from my raw skin hitting the cool air. Though, that was there, too.

Grimacing, I ran out of the cave, and into the storm "Father!" I screamed, "Help me!"

When nothing happened, I tried again. "Dad!" Minutes passed, and nothing happened. Finally, dropping to my knees, I screamed out, "_Daddy!_"

A minute or so passed, and I felt myself drifting off. But that wasn't before I felt an arm go around my waist and pulled me up. "Don't worry, Little Sister," my savior said, and then I blacked out.

-xxx-

I woke up in a familiar star-lit room.

No, seriously. All over the room were actual stars. I blinked a few times, bringing my hand up to my head. I noticed it was wrapped up. I stood up, but had to grab the table next to my bed. Once I had my head again, I stood up straight.

I noticed that my clothes were different. I was dressed in black skinny jeans, converse, T-shirt… black everything! I walked out into the hall, and made my way to my father's throne room. I was in the Underworld, of course, I knew that the moment I woke up.

"Hello?" I called out as I reached the doors. I opened them, and saw my dad on his throne, of course, talking to Nico.

The both turned to me when I waked in. Nico grinned, "Emilie! You're awake."

I nodded, "Yeah. What's going on? What happened?"

Nico grimaced, "Well, Dad called me in, telling me you were in trouble and I had to get you. Really, I didn't understand why he didn't just do it himself-"

"-I was busy, and she wouldn't shut up, so I sent you to get her."

"Yeah, anyway, I found it a little weird that you were in the North Pole, but-"

"-I was in the North Pole?"

"Yes, _would you stop interrupting me_? Anyway, I went to the North Pole and found you. Dad snapped his fingers, which made your clothes change, and I wrapped up your hand. Then I stuck you in your room where you slept for three days."

I blinked, startled. "Three days?" He nodded, and I ran a hand through my hair. "I have to get back to Elena and Pollux!"

My dad raised an eyebrow. "You want to go back to them?"

"Yes! I may be a little mad at them, mainly Pollux, but we're in this quest together."

He sighed, "Fine. Nico, go to your room. I need to speak to her alone."

He grimaced, "I don't really thin-"

"Now!"

Nico did as he was told and left the room, traveling through the shadows. I looked at my father, my eyebrows furrowing.

He leaned back in his thrown, and we stared at each other. The only sound in the room was the fire on the left side of the room. "Do you know why I sent those Furies after you?" he asked, and I shook my head. "I sent them after you because I'm not pleased with you. You are an ungrateful child, how dare you have a romantic relationship with my nephew?"

I froze, and I could feel the blood drain from my face. He _knew. _

"It-I-I mean…"

"Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I looked him in the eye once before running. I ran out of the room, and through a shadow, thinking "_Bring me to Elena and Pollux!_"

The next thing I know, I'm in a forest. It's sunset, and I can hear them arguing. "Why isn't it working?" I heard Elena ask, irritated.

"I don't know!" I heard Pollux reply, "I never took up classes on how to make a fire."

I smirked, and walked over to them, hiding behind a tree. Elena was bent over on the ground, rubbing two sticks together. The car was no where to be seen, and the both of them looked awful.

"Need some help?" I asked, walking out from behind the tree.

"Emilie!" Elena squealed, quickly standing up. She ran over and captured me in a hug before I could even blink.

"Hey, Elena," I said, "can't breath!"

She let me go, "Oh, sorry." She looked down at her feet.

"I thought you left."

I looked at Pollux. His eyebrows furrowed, and he was looking at me in wonder. His tone wasn't mad, just confused.

"I did. But now I'm back," I said, kneeling down. I began to run the sticks together, creating a spark.

"But.. _why_? I was so awful to you…"

I rolled my eyes, "I know. But I found the bow, and I thought you guys might want to know that."

They blinked at me, and then both grinned. "You found it?" Elena asked.

I nodded, smiling as a fire started. "Yes," I replied, standing up.

"Well, where is it?" Pollux asked.

"The North Pole."

-xxx-

**Wow, has it **_**really **_**been a month? Sorry!**

**Okay, so I know that I said I was going to do this. And I am, but don't think that's why it took so long. Riley's computer died, and I didn't realize how much I rely on her to help until it did. So… she hasn't even seen this yet. **

**I'm sorry if it sucks, I just… I didn't know what to write. I mean, we have it planned out, but I just haven't been able to…**

**Uh.. Sorry if any of you ARE Canadian, I don't actually hate you guys. XD**

**Oh well! Please, review. And go ahead and ask questions, I'll try my best to answer them. **

**Oh yeah, P.S, "Review!" or "Please Review!" aren't very good reviews. I like them, of course, but... the reviews that tell me what they liked about the chapter are the ones I like and actually reply to. **


	11. Chapter 11

Elena blinked at me, "The North Pole? Are you kidding?" Her face was scratched and dirty, as was Pollux's, but she still managed to stay her. Unlike me, who freaked out and left…

I raised an eyebrow at her, "Does it _look_ like I'm kidding?"

She shook her head, sighing, "No, but I was hoping you were. How do you know? Why didn't you take it when you saw it?"

I grimaced and glanced at my hand, still covered in bandages, and said, "I… well, let's just say I shadow-traveled there by mistake. And I couldn't take the bow, there was no way1

Pollux was sitting on the ground, his elbows propped up on his knees. He was staring at the fire with a blank expression, his blonde hair in his eyes. The fire seemed to make his face glow. Still staring at the fire, he said, "You said you shadow-traveled there by mistake, how do you expect us to get there? We know you can't do it purposely, and even if you could, it tires you out."

My eyebrows furrowed, and I frowned at him. "Are you calling me a liar?"

Elena's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait. If you can't do it, not really, how did you get here? Did you freeze your arse off or something?" she asked, sitting down as well.

I grimaced. "I was terrified," I said, "that's the only time I can do it. The first time was when I was falling off a mountain, the second time…" I trailed off, shaking my head.

"Yes?"

I shook my head, "It was nothing. But we _need _a plan. The bow is inside a fountain, which I think is filled with poison or something. I stuck my hand in and it practically burned my skin off."

"Was it purple?" Pollux asked, finally drawing his eyes away from the flames. He looked at me with his grey eyes, which were sparked with curiosity.

"The fountain?"

"No," he snapped. I heard the slightest bit of irritation in his voice. "The poison."

"Oh, no. The poison itself was clear as well," I replied. "That's how I saw the bow, through the bottom."

"That doesn't make any sense…" he muttered, looking at his hands.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked.

He sighed. "Poison is usually portrayed as purple. If it wasn't purple, it wasn't poison. Which means…"

"Which means you can drink it," Elena said, finishing for him.

I let out a frustrated noise, "_What?"_

"When you were gone, Pollux and I went over the prophecy as much as we could," she explained.

" '_Two forbidden daughters,'_" Pollux recited, "obviously it's the two of you."

"But… '_In madness and in wine,_' doesn't make any sense. But we know it's Pollux."

" '_One will drink thyself to death,'_" I whispered, my mind flashing to the clear liquid. I couldn't imagine anyone drinking it. It was so painful putting my hand in, what would it do to the inside of a person? "You're going to drink it, Pollux?" I asked, horrified.

"I have to."

I shook my head quickly, "Uh… no, you don't."

"Yes, I do. I have to do this, Emilie, you don't understand."

I let out a deep breath. "Fine." Who was I to deny him of what he needed to do? "How are we going to get there?"

We all went silent. "Pray to our parents?" Elena suggested.

I snorted, "Yeah, okay, my dad is _totally _going to help us."

"Now is **not **the time for this, Emilie." Elena snapped, "Now really. Pollux, do you think your dad will help?" As she asked this, not only did she look at him, but she glanced at me. With that glance, I knew what she's asking. "_Do you think he'll help __**you**__?_"

I grimaced. It was doubtful.

"No," Pollux replied, "he didn't want me to go on this quest in the first place, he's not going to get us there. Not even if I begged."

She sighed, and I tried to lighten up the mood. "What about your dad, Elena? Your dad is Poseidon, one of the nicest gods there are. Surely he'll help!"

She seemed to consider this. "Well, maybe. We'll probably need to sacrifice something important."

"Like a spoil of war?"

"Exactly!"

"But… we don't have a spoil of war."

"That's where you're wrong," Pollux said.

"Hm?"

"While you were gone, we encountered a giant."

"A Laistrygonian giant," Elena piped up.

"And?"

"Well, it's not Medusa's head, but it's all we've got," Pollux said.

"What is it?"

"It's a bone from one of the fingers of the giant."

Elena grimaced, disgusted. "It was disgusting to watch! Him pulling it out, I mean, but he said that we might need it."

He rolled his eyes, "And we _do_. But now, where are we going to sacrifice this?"

"The _ocean_?" I said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which it kind of is.

"Yes, I realize that, Emilie. But we have no idea where we are, and if we're anywhere _near _the ocean."

I crossed my arms and frowned, but Elena was grinning to herself. "What?" I asked.

"Well, I think I know where to go. When you were gone, and Pollux and I were walking, which was next to the road, we came across this," as she said this, she pulled out two folded pieces of paper. The first one she unfolded was a green flier.

**COME TO OUR BOAT SHOW! **

**Come see our boats! We have all kinds. Motor boats, sail boats, canoes, even pirate ships! Bring your kids, bring your parents, but most importantly, bring yourself!**

I didn't bother to read on. There was just times, and crap like that. I raised an eyebrow at Elena, "And just _why_ do you have this?"

She shook her head, blushing. "I don't know, I found it on the side of the road and found it interesting… but that's not the point! Look, it's a _boat _show. We give my dad the bone, and we ask him to take us- on a boat that we stole- to the North Pole!"

"That's easier said than done," Pollux pointed out.

I stuck my tongue out at him, "I think we should do it!"

Elena grinned at me, "Two against one."

"Knuckle bump!" I exclaimed, and our knuckles did indeed bump each other.

Pollux rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. We'll go."

"Great."

"Where is it?"

"Erm…" she unfolded the other paper, which was a map of Canada. "We're here," she said, pointing to the city of Rouyn-Noranda, "Or at least, right outside of that. And the convention is here," she said, pointing to James Bay.

I grimaced, "The distance from here to there is the size of Maine!" I exclaimed, then frowned. "How'd that flier get all the way out here?"

"Look, it doesn't matter. People drive through Maine, we'll just take a bus."

And that's exactly what we did.

-xxx-

"This is the worst idea you've ever had," Pollux said as we all walked into the convention. Rather, walked out to it. We stepped onto a deck, a really big deck, which held a ton of people on it.

Everyone was dressed as pirates, _everyone. _No joke. We all looked at each other, but began walking. There were so many people, it was going to be hard to steal one of these boats. "Can you hotwire a boat, Emilie?" Elena asked me, and I frowned.

"No."

"Then how are we going to do this?" Pollux asked, and I looked at Elena. We both grinned at each other.

"Steal a pirate ship," we both said at the same time.

"How? There are a million people here! _Just _for the pirate ships, I might add."

Elena raised an eyebrow, "I'm a child of Poseidon, and I'm sixteen. I think I can cause enough mist for Emily to sneak onto the ship. It won't be _that _hard, Pollux. Stop being such a downer."

He scowled at her, "I am _not _a dower."

Smirking, I said, "Prove it."

-xxx-

"I can't believe we're _doing _this," Pollux said as the wind blew through his blonde hair. We all shivered as the wind hit us. It was freezing, sort of. It wasn't as cold for me, with my daughter-of-Hades powers and all.

Elena waved her hand, then leaned over the boat, staring at the ocean. She had dropped the bone in it only a few moments before. I shut my eyes, "_Aeolus,_" I prayed, whispering, "_a little help?_"

The wind picked up even more, as did the currents, and the boat began to move. I grinned to myself, and said a silent thank you.

Elena's dad did help us. He got us to the Artic Circle in less time than a plane would. As we were moving through the water, I sat down next to Pollux, who was staring at the ocean as we sailed through it. He seemed… distant.

"You don't have to do this," I said, looking at my hands.

He sighed and looked over at me, "Emilie-"

I held my hands up quickly, "I know, I know! You need to… I get that. I just wish you don't need to."

I kept staring down at my hands, refusing to look at him. Yes, I know we've had our differences. But… I don't know, I just feel close to him. He's my friend, and I don 't want him to go off and kill himself. "Emilie?" he asked, his tone confused.

"Huh?"

"You're crying."

I blinked and brought a hand up to my cheek, utterly surprised when I saw a tear on my finger. Why on _Earth _am I crying? It…I… "I'm sorry."

He began to laugh, and I looked at him incredulously. "Why are you _apologizing_?"

"I don't… know." As I said this, I shivered, and I realized I left my blanket below. Before I could get up to go and get it, Pollux grabbed me. He pulled me into his shoulder, wrapping his blanket around my shoulders. I awkwardly shifted, but laid my head on his shoulder. It was kind of… weird, but it was more of a friend thing. Not… well, you know. That's how I feel about his _dad_.

-xxx-

I woke up by something banging the boat. I fell off the bench, hitting my head. Grimacing, I lifted my hand up, but was glad when I didn't feel any wound. "What was that?" I called out, trying to stand up but was knocked over by another bang.

Elena was gripping onto the side of the boat, "Whale!"

…. What?

"Can't you like, talk to it or something?" Pollux screamed, looking a bit sick.

"Uh… I can try!" And with that, Elena started making whale noises. If you thought Dory from "Finding Nemo" was silly, well, obviously you've never seen a daughter of Poseidon do it.

I cupped a hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh. ….Gods, am I bipolar? Not too long ago, I was crying, and now I'm trying not to laugh. What's wrong with me?

… Many, many things.

But anyway, when we thought the whale stopped, it his us one more time, actually flipping the ship over. I didn't even have time to think as I hit the icy waters. After that…. Everything was chaos.

I felt the current pull me down, but I needed to get to the surface, I needed to breath. I looked around for Elena, panicked, but I couldn't find her. Now I could see why she had a fear of drowning, it's awful. I clutched at my neck, and waited the current out, but black spots danced around my vision, and then I blacked out.

-xxx-

"Emilie? C'mon, wake up!" cried Elena. I knew it was her, even though I couldn't see her. My eyes were still closed, and my body was still. I let out a groan as I sat up, and when my eyes opened, I was aware that we were on land.

My clothes were soaked as was my hair. I grimaced at the cold, "Where are we? And where's Pollux?"

"Over here," he called out. My head swiveled around and I saw the all too familiar cave that the bow was in. He was in the cave, his arms wrapped around himself, shivering like mad.

I glanced back at Elena, "Is he all right?" but her only answer was a desperate look and a shrug. Elena was dry, due to her daughter-of-Poseidon powers. I stood up, raising my arms in the air, stretching. I tried to ignore the water in my clothes and walked into the cave, stopping abruptly when I saw the fountain. It was a deep purple, no longer the clear liquid that it was in before. "It-it's not supposed to look like that," I said, looking to Elena.

Pollux, still shivering, stood up as well. "It doesn't matter what it's supposed to be like, it is what it is. But my guess is that it changed colors," he said, and tilted his head at it. "But… you know, it looks an awful lot like wine now."

Elena and I looked at each other, but I said nothing. What was I supposed to say? I don't want you to drink it 'cause you'll probably kill yourself, but you have to anyway?

He took a few steps forward, but looked to us. I looked away, but Elena nodded. He went back to walking and finally reached the fountain. It was still taller than he was, though not by much. It seemed that now stairs had carved themselves in the ice wall next to him. He climbed them, and then pressed his fingers into the liquid. It didn't burn him, like it did to me, but he couldn't grab the bow. The liquid around it wouldn't allow him to.

I looked away again, refusing to watch as he… as he… ugh! Even though I wasn't looking, didn't mean I didn't stop hearing. I heard the clink of a glass to the ice and him drinking, and drinking, and drinking until all of the liquid was gone. "Pollux?" I heard Elena ask, "Do you feel all right?"

I glanced towards him, seeing that he wasn't dead on the floor. He had the bow in his hands, but… but there was a look in his eyes, a look I knew all too well. "Get down!" I screamed and jumped at Elena, knocking her out of the way. As we were falling, an arrow passed right by our heads.

We rolled over, and I helped her up, and then we began running. "What's going on?" she screamed, "What's wrong with him?"

"He's insane! The liquid, it made lose his mind!"

She stopped and grabbed my arm, forcing me to turn around. "Is there anyway we can fix him?"

Before I could answer, another arrow flew by our heads. He was catching up to us, and our stopping didn't help. Also, his long legs didn't help, either. "Keep running," I told Elena, pushing her forward. I unclipped Parafrosyni from my hair and began running behind her, but when an arrow got me in the leg and caused me to fall, well, I got a little angry.

Pulling the arrow out of my leg hurt terribly, but when I did it, I threw it in the snow. The area around me began turning red, my blood soaking into the snow, but because my leg was numb, it didn't faze me. I started at Pollux, who kept shooting arrows at me. "_Is there anyway we can fix him?_" Elena had asked… no, there isn't.

I split one arrow with my sword, and ducked to avoid another one. Another arrow hit me, in the stomach, and without thinking about what I was doing, I plunged my sword into his chest. He fell to his knees, and I pulled it out, blood pouring from his wound. That insane darkness had left his eyes, and now he was as sane as ever, but dying. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and then there wasn't any light in his eyes at all.

I was shaking all over. I stared at his dead body, ignoring the buzzing in my head, and watched as the snow around us turned red. Blood from both our wounds. Elena made her way over, "Is he-"

"-yes."

"Are you all right?"

"Do I _look _like I'm all right?" I asked, but shook my head. "He was our friend, 'Lena, and now he's gone. …Oh gods! Dionysus is going to _hate _me." My eyes widened, and I couldn't breath.

Placing a hand on my shoulder, pulling me into a comforting hug, she said, "Not if you didn't do it."

"But I did."

"I'll tell everyone I did it," she replied, and I pulled away, looking at her with my eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would you do that?"

She snorted, "Why wouldn't I? You're my best friend, and I'm sure Mr. D wouldn't like it if _you _were the one who did it, as you so wildly pointed out."

"I- thank you," I said, but I sounded dazed. I suppose what I did, what just happened, was just… getting to me. But there wasn't anyway to

"You're welcome."

-xxx-

"Did I ever tell you to thank your dad for never killing me?" I asked Elena, who was trudging through the forest next to me. We were in New York again, though I'm not sure I knew how we got there. I was in a daze for a while…

"Erm… no."

"Well, you should do that."

She turned around, raising an eyebrow at me. "Are you _sure _you're all right?"

My face hardened. "I'm fine," I replied, but I'm almost positive it wasn't convincing. Elena shook her head and sighed, but kept walking, passing in front of me.

…. When she finally stopped, I nearly ran into her. But she was staring up, and I looked with her. It was Manhattan. "We're here."

With sudden inspiration, we both started running. We sneaked on a tour bus to the Empire State Building, but when the tour guide noticed us hanging on the side of the bus, he kicked us off. It was all right, though, because we were only a few blocks away from Olympus.

We dodged tourists, residents of the city, and hobos. The bow was in my hand, and Elena was ahead of me, but that was only because her legs were longer than mine…. I've used that excuse too much. When we were across the street from the building, Elena stopped, frozen. Across the street from us was Lady Artemis, a bow in her hand, and a determined expression on her face.

I took a step forward, not really aware of what I was doing. I didn't know what Artemis was up to, but it didn't look good.

Suddenly, Artemis' face changed into a form of rage. Her hands were shaking- from fury, I think- and she brought her bow up, pulled the arrow back, and screamed, "This is for Orion!"

She let the arrow go, and then everything happened in slow motion.

The arrow was flying through midair, missing the mortals walking on the street by a mere quarter inch. My eyes went from Artemis, to the arrow, then to the place where it was headed. I let out a small shriek, "ELENA!"

I started forward, but I couldn't do anything, I was too slow, too far away. Just this once, I wish Kronos was my father, so I could slow time and save her. Just as it was with Pollux, it went through her chest, through her heart, and slammed into the wall behind her. She collapsed immediately, blood pouring out from her body.

The mortals around us were oblivious, courtesy of the Mist. I was already rushing over to her, and when I reached her, I tried to stop the bleeding. But it was no use, she was already dead. I didn't breath, I didn't move, I didn't do anything. For a moment, I just stared at my now dead best friend.

My hands clenched tighter, and it was then when I realized that the bow was still firmly in my hand. I stood up, and strode across the street, snarling at the mortals who bumped into me. Now I understood Artemis' rage, how irate she actually was, because now I am too. But this time… Oh no, this time, I'm going to get back at _her_. I may not be able to kill her, but there are things that she wouldn't want killed.

I glanced at the bow, wondering how much force it would take to break it in half, but decided against it. I couldn't have a war between the gods, that would bring terror and destruction, something I already got enough of in the Underworld.

When I reached the front desk, I wondered if the man was mortal or not. Did he get a lot of demigods in here asking if they could see the gods? Did he think they were crazy or just tell them no, your parents are busy?

He looked up at me from his magazine, "What?"

"I need to get to Mount Olympus, like, now."

His eyebrows furrowed, "Kid, are you nuts? There is no Mount Olympus. Get outta here."

I glared at him, then leaned over the desk, gripping his shirt. "Now you listen to me, Mr. My father is fucking _Hades, _and if you don't let me in, I'll make sure that you get to know him _a lot _better. Are you getting my drift?"

He was shaking now, but nodded. "'I-Ite, 'ite. Here."

He handed me a few keys and I grinned, but I knew that it wasn't a very pretty one. In fact, I think I looked nearly as sadistic as my father.

-xxx-

_Ding. _

Taking a deep breath, I walked through the now opened doors of the elevator and onto Mount Olympus. I didn't have time to marvel, and walked straight to the major pavilion, where the gods were.

The sight of them amazed me, if nothing else did. All twelve of them were there, even Artemis, who had just killed Elena not moments before. She was rolling her eyes at Apollo, who was draped sideways across his throne, grinning. But the moment he saw me walk in, his smile faded.

Everyone was turned to me at this point. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena… well, you get the point. Nobody spoke, so I took that as a chance to introduce myself. I was too busy staring at Zeus, making sure he didn't smite me, to notice anyone else in the room.

I knelt down, my head down as well, and said, "As you all probably know, I am Emilie, daughter of Hades."

"Is there a reason you intrude, daughter of Hades?" asked Zeus, who was staring at me with a peculiar expression. I stood up.

"I-well- yes," I said, and held up the bow to Artemis. "Lady Artemis, I bring you back your bow."

With a single twitch of her finger, the bow emitted a silvery glow as it floated into my hands and into hers. Once it touched her skin she let out a loud sigh, as if she was now becoming whole again. I crossed my arms behind my back, my clenched fists shaking. Oh, I so badly wanted to hit her…

"What happened?" asked Poseidon, whose eyebrows were furrowed.

Poseidon scared me less than Zeus did, that much I'll admit. And besides, I owe him an explanation. …

-xxx-

"… and on the way here, Elena was killed by monsters-"

"-Nemesis," someone muttered.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"I apologize," said Athena, "but she killed young Pollux, yes?" I nodded, "Well, then what do some mortals call it? Ah yes, karma."

I nodded again, at lack for words, but continued on. "Uh.. Yeah, so she was killed by monsters and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I didn't have time to mourn, because I needed to come here and give Lady Artemis her bow. …And that's pretty much it."

I glanced at all of the gods, and Poseidon and Apollo seemed to be taking it the worst, which made sense, of course. Poseidon looked incredibly sad, blue, almost. And Apollo… well, he refused to look at me the entire time. He looked grimmer and grimmer by the second.

"May I speak to Emilie alone?" he asked, and all of the gods and goddesses looked at each other but nodded and left the room. Now it was just Apollo and I.

"I knew," he said. "I _knew_," he said, shaking his head, "that she would die."

I remained silent, not knowing what to say. It was incredibly awkward, and I stared at the ground, not making eye contact.

"But I didn't think," he began, and it sounded as though he was choking back a sob, "that I would love her this much."

It was at that moment when my knees gave out. At that exact point in time, something else was in that room. It wasn't just Apollo and I… but, even as a daughter of Hades, I didn't know what it was. But it definitely had "ghost" written all over it.

Apollo didn't bother to ask if I was all right, but I don't blame him. I slumped on the floor, staring at the bottom of his throne, feeling like absolute _crap. _

It was _my _fault the two of them were dead. _I _stabbed Pollux, _I _allowed Elena to let Artemis get mad at her, _I _allowed the arrow to fly through her chest. …Why couldn't it have been me? Why couldn't _I _have been the one to die? My reasons were flawless, it would have been much better if I were the one to go.

"Emilie?" a familiar, male voice asked, but I hardly heard it. I was in that daze again, and the image of Elena's and Pollux's dead bodies and deaths kept flashing through my mind. "Emilie! Apollo, what did you do to her?"

Apollo didn't reply, nor did I. I was still on the floor, still staring at nothing. I felt myself being picked up, but I was limp. I couldn't control my body anymore.

My eyes finally closed, and only moments after they did, I heard, "Emilie… what has this this quest done to you?"

-xxx-

Groaning, I lifted a hand to my head. I had opened my eyes moments before, and now I was finally taking in my surroundings. I was in a bed, my leg, torso, and arm bandaged. "Hello?" I asked, and was nearly startled by my own voice. It sounded… empty.

"Oi! Mr. D, she's awake!"

"I'm well aware of that Kenneth, thank you."

"My name is Kyle-"

"_Thank you_."

Sighing, Kyle trudged off.

I heard footsteps, and then there he was, right in front of me, and I wasn't doing anything to greet him, I was just staring at him. "Are you all right?" he asked. My eyebrows furrowed. "I was there yesterday, I saw what happened…"

"Oh," I said in my empty voice, "right. I'm fine."

He stared at me for a long moment, and I took in the sight of him. His black hair was messy, a lot more than usual, his clothes were still crazy designs, but… he didn't look all too happy, but his son just died, so I guess that's it.

"I don't believe you."

"Okay."

His hands clenched around the bars at the end of my bed, "Stop that!"

I frowned. "Stop what?"

"Stop acting depressed!"

I took a long breath and said, "Well I'm sorry, but I'm a daughter of Hades, I'm _allowed _to be depressed."

-xxx-

Papers filled my cabin so much they were overlapping. I barely came out of my cabin, and when I did, I ate in the shadows. It's been weeks, and this solitude hasn't been very healthy. If I could have gotten any paler, I did. I also got thinner, weaker, and I just didn't care.

My hair's a mess, but I didn't care. I got up, walked out of my cabin, and to lunch. Nobody talked to me, in fact, nobody even looked at me. I didn't mind, though, I like it that way.

When I saw Rachel running, though, I immediately left my table and followed her. She seemed to be running in the direction of the Big House, but did it matter? Dionysus and I hadn't talked in weeks.

"I see terrible things!" she cried out, clutching her head. Her red hair and green scarf seemed as if they were floating in the air, due to the wind.

"Like what?" asked Chiron, his eyebrows furrowed. He was frowning at her, but didn't seem to notice me.

"Like… like…"

"Yeah?" I asked, but then brought my hands up to my mouth. I didn't mean to say that.

All heads snapped to me, and I stared. "I-sorry," I said.

Rachel stared at me with a sudden intensity, though. "I see _you_," she replied, "in the future. What the fates have set up for you is awful… for you and your lover, and your children."

I raised an eyebrow at her- something I haven't done for a _long _time- and said, "Well, actually, I have neither of those things, so-"

"No! I will make you see!" It wasn't Rachel's voice who said this, nor was it the oracles. It was… odd. Then I saw things so terrible it made me fall to my knees and scream.

I saw fire and war. I saw dead bodies surrounding me, and one in particular. It was a girl- one who actually looked a lot like what Aphrodite was changing to- with curly black hair and pale skin. Her cheeks were pink, though. She was looking up at me, whispering, but I couldn't hear her. All I could here were the constant screams and clashes of swords. Her purple eyes looked up at me, and I was shaking. I felt some sort of tie to this girl.

Then two figures came fighting. One was a man with short red hair and a scar on his arm. His eyes were green and he was battling a tall, wiry figure with dark brown hair. I couldn't see his face from the back. But from the looks of it… he was losing. The redheaded one stabbed him in the gut, and he fell, wincing in pain. The redhead spat at him.

The girl with black hair and now… blue eyes? She began screaming something, which I'm guessing was his name. She had a look of pure horror on her face.

Then three arrows came out of nowhere and his the three of us in the chest… killing us instantly.

Then I blinked, snapping out of it, but I couldn't get the pictures of horror away. They were worse than Elena's and Pollux's deaths, which freaked me out to the extreme.

Then I blacked out.

-xxx-

"Rachel! What went through your mind when you showed her that? Were you _thinking? _You know when the Oracle shows someone images that it only turns out bad!"

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. D! It wasn't _me _who was doing it…"

"I don't care who it was, but do you know how long it took for me to calm her down _mentally_? She's so unstable it's not even funny. The things I saw in her head… I wish it upon no one." he said this, but it sounded a lot like a snarl.

I heard a sigh. "Dionysus… perhaps you should just sit and calm down-"

"-don't tell me to calm down, Chiron! When this girl is herself again, I'll calm down."

"Why do you care so much?" asked Rachel.

"That is none of your concern."

-xxx-

When I woke up for the first time for real- I kept drifting in and out of sleep earlier- I saw that I was in one of the rooms of the Big House. ….again.

Dionysus was in a chair on the side of the room, across the chair, asleep. I frowned but got off the bed, a little wobbly, and walked over to him. "Hello?" I asked, but he stayed asleep. I then shook his shoulder, "Wake up." I said in a flat voice.

He did.

"Emilie," he said, blinking in surprise. "What are you….?"

"Doing out of bed? I came to ask you what happened, I can't remember all too well."

He sighed and nodded, standing up. My knees shook again, and he grabbed my waist, steadying me. …I felt a pang in my chest, and I didn't realize just how much I missed him. He placed me on the bed and sat next to me, though not as close as I might have liked.

"Rebecca-"

"Rachel, that much I remember," I said, correcting him.

"Yes… Rachel gave you images of the future, something she's not supposed to do. And they just weren't enough for you to handle."

"Oh," I said. "But… that doesn't make sense, I feel fine, calm."

He sighed, closing his eyes. "I know. I had to sedate your emotions so you wouldn't try to kill yourself. You can't feel anything _but _calm right now, and soon you're going to hate it, once you're ready to be yourself again."

I nodded, my face expression blank. "Okay."

"Okay?" he asked, his purple eyes turning to me angrily, "Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes. …I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize!"

"I'm sorry- I mean-I- okay."

He looked at me for one moment, his expression was angry and completely tormented at the same time. He shook his head and walked out of the room.

I looked around, spotting my shoes. I put them on and walked to my cabin. I suppose this calmness thing was all right. It was better than feeling pain and anger and suffering, right?

As I was walking to my cabin, I saw a familiar sports car parked right outside the forest. My eyebrows furrowed, and I wanted to know what he was doing there, but didn't care too much to go looking. I continued to walk to my cabin, my footsteps so light they weren't heard. But then I saw Apollo leaning against the door of my cabin, and I stopped.

"Emilie," he said, walking towards me. He looked like an absolute mess. But… also, he was too pale to be the sun god, which explained why the sun wasn't so bright lately.

"Apollo," I replied, my voice sounding dead.

"Listen… I need your help."

-xxx-

**Hey, everyone, what's up?**

**I know I said it wouldn't be long before I uploaded again, but I've been rather busy, and I needed inspiration. I found it, I think. **

**So Riley told you we were fighting? …Yeah, I suppose we are. Usually **_**we **_**don't, I just do something stupid and she gets angry at me, but this time the anger goes both ways. **

**Anyway, review or I'll… or I won't tell you who those weird people were soon!**

**Oh yeah, and some of you were asking how Hades found out. Well, he's a god, he can find out just for that reason. And she's his only living daughter, he's a little over protecting and bound to freak out sometime, right?**


	12. Chapter 12

I stared into his blue eyes in shock, tears blurring my vision. What did he mean? He couldn't… no, I-… My hands clenched into fists, and I began shaking. "_No. _It's… it's _unnatural_!"

His eyes narrowed at me, "Oh, and you should talk? You yourself have done it!" he snarled, his hands clenched into fists as well. We were in each other's faces now, and although we both wanted the same thing, we both had different opinions on the reality of the situation.

"I don't count! As a daughter of Hades, I'm half dead!"

"Now, we both know that that's a lie!"

"The only one lying to their own self is you! With your… your deluded idea of bringing her back!" I screamed, waving my hands in the air. "Do you think I haven't _tried _that already? Because I have! You just can't bring people from the dead, Apollo!"

He grabbed my wrist, pulling me up to his height. "You will bring her back, whether I have to force you to or not." His voice was cold and deadly, and his grip felt like it was going to snap my wrist in half. I pulled away and shoved him back, the I punched him square in the jaw.

"Don't touch me. Don't try to contact me, either. If I want to talk to you, I'll find you," I said, my voice just as cold and deadly as his. Then I retreated back into the forest. Once I was out of sight, I turned around and started running, my eyes wide. Him being here… asking this of me… it was a major wakeup call.

I stopped when I felt like my legs would turn to jell-o. I looked around the forest, seeing the trees with only half their leaves on them. I looked at my feet and saw the red, brown, and other color leaves cracked at my feat. The air was cool, something I hadn't really realized until now. I let out a long breath. I didn't even realize it was fall.

"You've been out it for a while, _haven't _you," a voice said from behind me. It wasn't Apollo, because it was a feminine voice, but… I didn't recognize it, though I felt like I should have. Slowly, I turned around, only to be met with myself.

It wasn't _actually _me, because I was conscious, and sane, and I knew that there was no possible way that I could be in two places at once. But… this girl, she looked just like me. Sure, her hair was straighter, and I could see in her eyes, which were a chocolate brown, that she was older and wiser, but still… she looked just like me. Same age, mostly the same appearances, the works. "Who _are _you?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.

"You mean you don't know?" asked the doppelganger, "My, my, Dionysus _has _been keeping secrets lately."

I froze. I felt myself go pale, if it was even possible to be even whiter than I was- the "tan" Apollo gave me had worn off by this point- and asked, "Are you… Ariadne?"

She ducked her head down, but I knew she was smirking. "You're smarter than you seem, demigod. But yes, I am Ariadne."

"Look at me," I demanded. When she didn't, I said it again. "Look at me!"

Her head snapped up, and I saw that her eyes were wide, though not by much. She was surprised by the authority in my voice, that much I knew. "Listen here" I said, "I don't care why you're here, but I'm going to leave right now if you don't give me a good reason to stay."

I turned to leave when she said, "I know how to bring your friend back."

I narrowed my eyes, watching as the wind swept up my hair. "I'm listening."

"It's like a soul for a soul, really. You just have to find a soul worthy of trading."

"Didn't you hear? My brother tried that, it didn't work."

"Not if you trade a god's soul."

I quickly turned around, "_What_?"

She smirked again, her confidence quickly returning. "Yes… if your friend, Apollo, was it? Well, if he traded his godly soul, aura, power, whatever you want to call it, for a single day, then that would be worth more than any mortal, or demigod, soul you could find."

"Oh… is that _all_?" I said sarcastically. The possibility of Apollo giving up his powers was as probable as me becoming a goddess.

"Not quite."

"Oh?"

She leaned against a tree, crossing her arms. "I need to tell you about Dionysus."

I crossed my arms as well, "Let me guess. You want me to stay away from him. Because he's still yours, even though you broke up for a little while. Right?"

She sighed and looked away, surprising me just the littlest bit. "No. He and I… we are truly over. I used to be his immortal wife, yes, but we were never _truly _compatible. I was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen… but that's all he saw with me." She looked directly at me, "At least, that's what I thought. I'm not sure about the two of you. I know that we are completely different, and you two could be together wonderfully. But let me tell you, _I _broke it off with _him, _not the other way around. I don't want him to use you just because you look just like me, do you understand?"

I looked away, "And why would you care about me? My feelings?"

My eyes narrowed even further when she began laughing. "Haven't you wondered why we look alike? We come from the same bloodline. It may have been tainted, but when your mother had a child with a god, it brought out the Greek in her, resulting in you looking identical to me. I had a daughter, you know, before I got mixed up in most of this. Theseus was her father… but he didn't care, he wanted Persephone. But this was before Dionysus, obviously… my daughter, she's your ancestor. Therefore, I am too."

I was silent, unable to utter a single word. She walked over to me and patted my head, "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

Then she left. No, it wasn't some magical production, with smoke or glitter of dust, she just… walked away. It was only a few minutes before I began to get angry. How dare she come and tell me what to do? To drop this on me? To tell me that the ex-wife of the man that I love is my great-great-great-great grandma?

Then I began thinking of Dionysus… I _love _him, like, seriously, but now I find out I look just like her? Can't I get a break? Come _on_! I swear, the Fates hate me!

I traipsed through the forest and to the Big House with a determined look on my face. It was raining again, but I didn't care. I slammed the door open to see Dionysus, Chiron, and a few satyrs playing pinochle. They all looked up at me, startled. Staring straight at Dionysus, I asked, "So… when were you planning on telling me that I look exactly like your ex-wife?"

I placed my hands on my hips, one of my eyebrows raised. It was a sight. A soaking wet girl in the doorway of a bunch of a mythological creatures and beings playing cards. I saw Dionysus lean over and mutter something to Chiron, who stood up and left, the satyrs following behind him like lost puppies.

Dionysus cracked his knuckles before leaning back in his chair, spinning it towards me. He had an eyebrow raised, "Are you yourself again? Because this apathetic act is getting rather boring."

I slammed the door behind me and stalked over to him. Then I promptly slapped him across the face.

You know when someone cracks their knuckles or something, you have to do it, too? Yeah, I got that feeling right after I slapped him, so I rolled my neck, letting out a sigh. "Gods, I really needed that."

I looked down at Dionysus, who surprisingly didn't look angry. Instead, he started laughing, sort of like Ariadne did. … Just thinking of her made my blood boil!

He stood up, now towering over me, and walked to his fridge, taking out a diet coke. "It seems you are back to normal again. That's good, now I won't have to keep your emotions calm, though it seems you may have broken the daze I put over you anyway." I didn't reply, I just stared at him. He waved his hand, and I felt my knees buckle.

I gripped onto the table, regaining my balance. It felt like all emotions were coming back at me, sort of like a tidal wave. The strongest emotion was anger. Memories of Ariadne and our talk popped into my head, and I charged at Dionysus. I began to pound on his chest with my fists, though I knew I couldn't really hurt him. "You _idiot_! How can you not tell me I look like her? Do you know how stupid this whole situation is? Are you just using me? Gah!"

He placed his diet coke on the counter and grabbed my wrists. I stopped immediately. "What is this all about? _Ariadne_?" I nodded, trying very hard not to cry. "Well, that's just silly. Why would she even come up in conve-" he stopped short, then asked, "she visited you, didn't she?"

I nodded again.

He let go of my wrists and ran a hand through his hair, cursing under his breath. "What did she tell you?"

"To be careful around you, how to bring Elena back from the dead, and, oh yeah, that she's like, my great-grandma times ten."

However, he wasn't surprised like I expected him to be. "Yes," he murmured, "I suspected as much."

"You mean you _knew_?"

"Well, no. I guessed. You two _do _look nearly identical."

I frowned and sat down in a chair, sighing. "Right, yeah, we do."

"Is that all you wanted to ask about?"

"Well… sort of, yes."

"Then leave."

"… Huh?"

"Can't you _hear?_" he asked, rolling his eyes. He took another sip from his Diet Coke, then said, "I don't want you around. What we had going on was simply some fun I had while I'm stuck here. After all, you and Ariadne _are _identical, and I'm still deeply in love with her. You were just a distraction. But then things got too dramatic, you got too moody and attached. In fact, I'm glad that Emma girl died, it gave me a chance to break away from you."

I flinched back, almost as if he had struck me physically. "You're lying," I said quietly, though my voice sounded hallow.

"Am I?"

"I don't believe you!"

"Believe this," he yelled back. "The night of the ball, when I had that moronic expression on my face? Well, that dress that Aphrodite was an exact replica of the dress Ariadne wore to our wedding, except yours was in black. And I believe she let it slip that you looked like her, did Aphrodite not?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but kept silent. He continued.

"And also, your father turned her mortal the second she divorced me. I decided that having a 'fling' with you would get under his skin, and that it has. So please, save the dignity you have left and leave."

Instead of clenching my hands into fists and yelling at him some more, I shrugged my shoulders. "All right." I can understand now. His facts… they're very accurate. Even if I love him, he doesn't love me. So why should I try?

My hand traveled to my neck, where I felt the necklace he gave me. My face hardening, I yanked it off. "Here," I said, "take it. I don't want it anymore. Obviously I've been used, and I just don't want to see your face anymore. The personality you actually have is just… nasty." When he didn't take it, I threw it at him. "Take it! I don't want it!"

He didn't do anything.

My lip trembled, and tears blurred vision. "Fine! Don't take it! But just remember this, I'm going to hate you for forever, Dionysus!"

"Is that all? Good. Oh, and Emmaline? You are to only call me Mr. D, not Dionysus."

I shook my head and ran out.

-xxx-

"Fine. I'll do it."

I looked up at Apollo, and he was blinking at me, skeptical. "Are you sure? You're not going to run off again, are you?"

"Are you _complaining_?" I snapped, standing up.

He shook his head, "No. What made you change your mind?"

It took me a moment to answer, but I finally replied, "Information. I now know _how _we can bring her back. You're willing to do anything for her, right? Even die?"

"Yes, even though that's not possibl-"

"Good. Then let's go. How are we getting to the Underworld?"

He took a step back, revealing his sports car. Also known as his sun chariot. I grimaced. Even in the rain it was particularly bright, but this was it or shadow traveling, and I wasn't too fond of doing that again. He unlocked it with his keys,

"Can I drive?"

"No."

Crossing my arms, I got in. It was a nice car, though, I'll admit. Apollo revved the engine and we were in the sky, on our way to the Underworld. It was only an hour or two until we arrived, and though I knew my father wouldn't be pleased to see me, it had to be done.

-xxx-

We paused right outside the large doors into the main throne room, unsure of what to say. "What do we do, actually?" he asked me, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Well… it's a trade, really. A soul for a soul, and use of your godly powers for a single day will be enough for my father to give Elena back. At least, I'm hoping that's the case. I don't know."

He gave me an odd look. "And when did you plan on telling me this?"

"Uh… now?"

He sighed, and I reached forward to grab the door when he stopped me. "Did I do that?" he asked, referring to the large blue and black bruise on my left wrist. "Huh? Oh, yeah."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking truly like a teenager. "Uh…. Sorry about that."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I replied, and then pushed the large doors open, revealing my father looking quite bored on his throne. He was wearing his usual robes 'o doom, his hair… well…. It looked awful. Like someone had died. (Heh, heh, I, a daughter of Hades, making death jokes. Heh heh.)

"Hey, Dad," I said awkwardly. I walked into the room, Apollo behind me, and once we were in, a gust of warm wind hit us and closed the door. "You're looking rather… gloomy today."

He sat up straight, "Yes, yes… Fall does that to people," he replied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He was rolling his eyes at me… well, joking around with me was better than killing me, I suppose.

My dad looked over my shoulder, and I mentally cringed. "Apollo," he said, rather surprised. "Don't tell me she's sleeping with you, too. Gaia knows how _that _would turn out."

"Gah-wha-no," Apollo spluttered, his blue eyes wide with shock. It was obvious he and my dad don't talk very often, but I would assume that, since they're both immortal and have been around for _quite _some time, they would at least _know _each other well enough to deal with teasing.

This time I rolled my eyes, "I'm not sleeping with him, Dad. You know I only have eyes for one," I replied, my voice and face void of any emotions. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry…

Crossing his arms, my father replied, "Enough with the joking around. There is a reason the two of you are here, what is it?"

I looked him straight in the eye, full of confidence. "I want Elena Westlie back, and I'm willing to make a trade for her."

He smirked. "Oh? And what are you willing to trade? I'm not going to take any measly soul in place of a demigods, especially a daughter of Poseidon."

Apollo stepped up, and I finally noticed how the Underworld was affecting him. His blonde hair seemed to have lost its shine. His skin wasn't getting paler, it just… seemed to fade, like he was loosing his life rather than his tan. Was he… no, he couldn't…

"I'm willing to trade whatever you want."

My father's eyebrows went up. "What I want?" he asked. "Well…. I want your godly powers."

"Deal," Apollo replied automatically. My eyes widened. I didn't actually think my dad would ask for that.

My dad waved his hand, and suddenly the soul of Elena was floating into the room. Her eyes widened when she saw us, but when she began to talk, all that came out was jiberish…

"What is she saying?" whispered Apollo.

"I… don't… know."

"You're Hades' daughter, shouldn't you be able to understand her?"

"I wouldn't know, would I?" I snapped back, my eyes narrowing. Now was _not _the time to be discussing what I can't do!

"Now," my father began, "I don't need, nor do I want, your powers for forever. I simply want… twenty-four hours with them. In these hours, you will not have any abilities at all. In fact, you'll be mortal at this point. Only when the twenty-four hours are up are you truly safe once again. We'll have to swear on the Styx, of course…" he said, his voice smooth and calm. This must be his business mode.

Apollo nodded, "All right."

My father made a motion, like moving something forward, and he nodded again.

"I swear on the Styx," said Apollo, "that Hades, lord of the Underworld, god of the dead, may have my godly powers for twenty-four whole hours in return for the soul and life of the demigod, Elena Westlie."

"I swear on the Styx," replied my dad, "that in return for the life and soul of the demigod, Elena Westlie, that I will receive the godly powers of Apollo, god of the sun."

Then the two shook hands, and the deal was done. Elena's body suddenly solidified, color coming to her cheeks, and she landed on her feet with a thud. "Emilie? Apollo?"

He both smiled at her. "Hey, amiga," I said, smiling sadly. "I missed you."

She mumbled something, but I didn't understand it. I looked to Apollo and took a step back, "I'll leave you two together… alone…."

-xxx-

"I wouldn't sleep with him," I said after sitting with my father after minutes of silence. My hands were curled around the arms of a chair- rather tightly, I might add- and the words he said nagged the back of my mind.

I could hear the smirk in my father's voice, "Oh, I know. Especially with that spat the two of you had a while back… I'm pleased to see that your tan is gone."

"Nico's tan," I argued, frowning, though refusing to look at him.

But he turned around, in his throne, looking at me. He had a dangerous look in his eyes- similar to mine, though much more scary- and said, "Nico is _Italian_, and you are Swedish and Greek-"

"-mostly Greek, Dad. Apparently I'm related to Theseus and Ariadne." I blurted out quickly, though it sounded more like a squeak to me.

He stopped talking altogether, then tilted his head to the side, his shoulder length hair looking much longer than it actually was. "What?" he asked.

I grimaced so, well, grimacing-ly that most of my teeth were showing. "Yeah… it would explain why we're pretty much doppelgangers, right?"

He surveyed me for a moment. "I suppose so… but she was married to Dionysus- which makes everything come into light, so to say. You two _are _nearly identical, no wonder he paid any attention to you at all."

I gave him a very sour look, but he just continued. "And I suppose that this would come from your mother's blood, on her father's side, not that you would know him, of course. He's dead, too. But Theseus, hm? … Don't go trying to steal any gods, or goddesses." He sounded incredibly amused, which was better than being angry.

I was confused for a moment, but I understood his last comment. Of _course _he would say that… but still…

"M'lord," said a servant, who just burst through the doors. "You have a visitor."

My father glared at his dead slave. He was dressed in a war uniform, obviously a red coat from the Revolutionary War. How curious it is that my father has kept him, almost as if he's a pet.

"Who is it, William?" he demanded.

"Sir Jones," he replied, his head down. I glanced at my father, who's face had hardened. He nodded and rose from his seat.

"Go find your friends and leave," he said, "I have business to attend to."

-xxx-

"Are you sure you want to go in there?" asked Apollo, who was eyeing Camp Half-Blood from the top of the hill. His arm was around Elena, where he kept her close to him, not letting her go for anything.

From the side where Elena was free of that clingly monster- ahem- I mean Apollo, I held her hand. It was in a very platonic manner, I assure you. "Yes," she said, nodding. She had a determined look in her eyes, which were still a grey sort of color. Now I finally got a good look at her.

She was dressed in a white dress, one that looked like linen from ancient times. Her hair, which was once short, fell down past her shoulders. It no longer had blue highlights in it, but I'm sure she'll get more. It had flowers woven into it, and she was clear of makeup. All in all, she looked like a goddess. But still, colors were still filling through her. She had just begun to receive the green in her eyes as we walked into camp.

I was actually afraid that she wouldn't be allowed into the camp's borders, because she would be considered a zombie or something, but it seems that the ancient Greeks have taken resurrection into consideration. She was allowed through.

The sky was setting, but it did so brightly, the view free of clouds. It seems Zeus is much happier, now that his son is in fact the sun again.

It was dinner time, and everyone was at the pavilion. Elena and I caught each other's gazes and grinned. Apollo gave her a questioning look, so she stood up on her tip-toes and whispered in his ear. He nodded and grinned, his eyes shining.

The three of us walked to the pavilion, both Apollo and I still attached to her. It was only when we were in front of the entire camp when I let go of her.

When the camp caught sight of her, it began an uproar. There was screaming, and fighting, and crying, and did I mention screaming?

I stared at the wall, making it look very pointedly that I refused to look at _him. _"SILENCE!" yelled Chiron. Everyone was silent after that, and sat down, very afraid of what would happen if they defied him. Standing up, he walked over to us. "Is it truly you, Elena?" he asked, looking down at her warily.

She nodded, smiling brightly at him. "It sure is."

He smiled at her, "That's very good news…" then he glanced at me, "and I suppose you did this, Emilie?"

I nodded, not saying a word.

"I see."

Then his attention turned back to Elena and he bombarded her with questions. I used this as my chance to escape, and I sneaked away from them and to my cabin, where I collapsed on my bed. I looked at my walls, and the tears began to pour down my cheeks now.

With shaky hands I tore down all the pictures on my walls, leaving all of the paper and garbage on the floor. In the process I knocked over furniture and glass, and I cut myself multiple times without even noticing.

I crawled to my bed, unable to even walk in a straight line anymore. I simply curled up in a ball, convulsing like mad while blood and tears soaked my bed.

-xxx-

**Hello, readers…. **

**Now, I know it's been a while, and I'm sorta sorry. Some of you asked if Riley and I were still fighting, and no, we're not , but we've just been super busy lately. **

**I think I should warn you now… Riley will be gone this summer, most of the time without her laptop. So don't expect any chapters from her, because even I can't contact her for a month of that summer. I'll probably update, and she won't be happy with what I write, I'm sure of that. **

**This chapter is rather short, and I think the next one will be, too. There isn't much to say right now, not before the plot thickens again. Which it will, I promise. **

**Wouldn't it be great if I got 160 reviews? That would be just fabulous, if I say so myself. But I'm not asking. (Yes I am. XD)**

**Life is okay with me. Not much inspiration lately… anyone got any ideas for the story here? I'd love to hear it, maybe it'll spark something within me. **

**Oh yeah, does anybody here watch the show Conan? Nobody I know seems to, and that bugs me, because I think he's really, really funny!**

**Speaking of other fandoms, who likes the Hunger Games? I certainly do, and so does Riley. She loves Peeta, like everyone else. But wanna know a fun fact about her? She actually loved the name Peeta loooonnnngggg before she actually read the series, so don't be surprised if you see the name pop up somewhere. But anyway, we were just talking about what district and stuff we'd be in. I said the Capitol or District four, I dunno why, they seem cool. But then it got me thinking…. What about District Twelve? I mean, I love Haymitch…. Riley says I love the drunks, and I most certainly do…. Then she said that if I were to do a fanfic about it, I'd like, fall in love with Haymitch, he'd like me, but break off all relationships with me before the games, where I would fall of the metal plate before they even start and explode…. Happy ending, I know. **

**But how are you? I feel rude not to ask…**

**And uh… yeah, that just about sums it up for now. Review, please, with an idea if you could. I'd love to hear it. **


	13. Chapter 13

My dream was an interesting one at that. Especially for a demigod. No, I didn't foresee some giant war, nor did I witness some sort of murder or torture- and I think I have before. Nope. Actually, all I saw was Hypnos chilling out on a cloud.

I squinted my eyes. Yup, definitely Hypnos, god of sleep. I may not have ever _seen _him before, but since when do I need that? I'm a demigod, I go off of prophecies and the feeling of my gut.

His hair was pale white, as I figured it would be, as is his son's- not that he was actually there. His clothes were pretty normal, especially for a god. I always imagined he'd be wearing a tunic or something, but no. He was wearing a long, white-sleeved shirt- like a guy would under a suit- and black paints- again, like a suit. His hair, as I said before, was white, but it was slicked back, so I guessed it was longer than he lets on. His skin was pale, like the clouds around us, like porcelain, and his eyes were… what color _where_ they?

I leaned forward, to get a closer look- he seemed to be rather far away, twenty feet, maybe? But when I did, it's like the ground that supported me disappeared, and I began falling. I was in the clouds, so I'm guessing I was a few thousand feet up. Since the idea of splattering across the ground didn't appeal to me, I began screaming at the top of my lungs, panicking.

Even at the fast rate I was falling, I could see his head snap up, then look down at me.

Oh! His eyes were silver!

Then with a snap of his fingers, I was back at his level, chilling out on the cloud next to him, sitting criss-cross. I blinked, gripping onto the cloud as if it were a solid thing. … But the thing was, where we were, it was. I leaned forward, carefully this time, and saw that there was no ground below us… it was all just fog and clouds.

"Where are we?" I asked, slightly grimacing.

"Cloud Nine," he replied, his voice smooth and deep.

I bit the inside of my cheek, preventing myself from asking too many questions. I don't know him, like, at all. I don't know if he's a god who gets set off really easily or not. He was looking out in the opposite direction of where I was sitting, but when I didn't say anything in return, he glanced at me out of the corner of his right eye. "You may ask questions."

I nodded quickly, letting out a breath. "This place seriously exists?"

He shrugged the slightest bit, leaning back into the cloud as if it were a chair, and positioned his body towards mine. He caught my gaze before replying. "Not in a literal sense. I'm the god of sleep, after all."

"So this is all in my head? I'm dreaming this?"

He shook his head. "No, no. Cloud Nine… it's a mix of pleasure and relief, of all people throughout all times," he said slowly, "it's rather difficult to explain. But then again, in a sense, you are also dreaming this. You're conscious, yet not conscious. This place is a contradiction in itself."

I frowned, staring at the cloud in front of me. "So you're saying… I'm in two places at once?"

"In a way, yes."

"But if part of me is dreaming…. Isn't that your son's territory? Morpheus?"

Hypnos smiled at me, revealing a perfect set of ultra-white teeth. "I'm his father, so that sort of make me the boss. I can do as I wish."

I nodded again. "Okay… but what am I doing here? With you?"

He gave me an awkward smile. "You've become rather of an interesting topic between the gods, Miss Reynolds. You seem to have quite a reputation, and because of this, I need you to do me a favor."

My eyebrows went up, "Yeah, sure. What do you want?"

"Well, your father told me your mother attended an insane asylum before she passed away-"

"He _told _you that?" I spluttered, my eyes wide.

Hypnos shrugged again, "He and I are close. My twin is the god of death, and while in our Roman forms we- never mind, that isn't important. But I need you to go to that hospital and give a patient a message for me."

I tried to stand up on my cloud, but it was as hard as balancing on a toy float in a pool, and I toppled right over, onto my stomach. The cloud was soft, so it didn't hurt, but I let out a frustrated huff. "That sounds easy enough. I'll do it. What message do I have to give her? Oh, and who is she?"

He seemed hesitant to tell me anything, but finally answered after a few seconds, "Her name is Serena Delacroix. She is in your mother's old room. I need you to tell her that… that she can't hide from me, I'm a god. Tell her that she needs to get over her pride, because its not well for her health. And tell her that I'm sorry, for being such an 'ass-hole.'"

My mouth twitched, but I tried very hard not to smile. "Why can't you tell her this yourself? I mean, I know that you probably don't want to see her if you guys have had a fight, but why don't you visit her in her dreams like you did to me?"

He shook his head, smirking, "Because she's in that mental hospital for being a delusional insomniac."

-xxx-

When I woke up from my weird, dream-Cloud-Nine-Hypnos-experience-thing, I found that I wasn't in my bed like I thought I'd be. I could have sworn that I fell asleep crying, in my bed, so why did I wake up in a cot with my hand all bandaged up and nymphs braiding flowers into my hair?

One of the nymphs squealed when I let out a noise that sounded like I was being strangled. The other, her name was Juniper, I think, actually finished my braid before running off. A few seconds letter, Will came into the room. Will…. When was the last time I talked to that guy? I couldn't even remember.

But he didn't seem to be mad at me at all. In fact, he was grinning, and rather excited to see me. Was there something different about Will? I didn't notice before, but… well, his hair was a lot longer, but he cut it super short. His skin was its normal tan color, and his eyes were their normal sky blue, but… it was something else, something other than his hair.

He knelt down, next to my cot- which was rather close to the floor- and grabbed my wrists, examining my hands. "Flex," he demanded, and I moved my fingers. "Good, good," he replied, "I was afraid they'd be too sore to move, and we couldn't have that. You lost a lot of blood by the time your brother brought you in here."

"Nico?"

"Mmhmm, the kid is worried sick."

I scrunched up my nose, "He's not a kid, he's older than me. And you're only older than him by a few years!"

Will rolled his eyes, still kneeling down beside me. Sunlight suddenly lit up the room, and I looked up, seeing another camper opening the shades. I looked back at Will, and it seemed his hair was glowing gold, sparkling even. But not like a girl would, like… like Apollo, actually. And if you ever tried to call Apollo gay, he'd probably kill you. Or… would he? I mean, the gods _were _bi back in the day….

"Emilie?" he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I blinked at him, and I saw his head was tilted to the side, a worried etched in his expression.

"Oh, sorry," I replied, then smiled at him, "so you were the one who fixed me up? Thank you, Will. I haven't been in my right mind lately, so I understand if you don't want to be friends with me. Everybody knows the burden of being friends with a child of Hades, and being an emotional, hormonal teenager doesn't help with that."

He shook his head, grinning, "Ah… I remember when I was sixteen. I was sent on my first quest not even a day after my birthday."

"Will?" I asked, tilting my own head to the side.

"Yes?"

"How old are you?"

He seemed genuinely surprised at my question. "Twenty-one, didn't you know?" I shook my head. "Well, now you do."

I leaned back in my cot, but made a gasping sound when it tipped over. Luckily for me, Will caught it, laughing. "Be careful," he said, "you'll fall over."

He set it straight, and I glared at him for laughing. It wasn't my death glare- and I mean that literally, I killed someone- and it was only a few seconds when I was laughing with him. "When can I get out of here?" I asked, grinning.

"Right now," he said.

"Seriously?"

"Well, if you would prefer to stay here…"

"No, no!" I exclaimed, swinging one leg over. … Not my best idea. Good thing Will was there that time, too.

"Maybe you should let me help you with that?" he asked, now standing up. He was looking down at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Mmm… no," I mumbled, crossing my arms and looking the opposite way. On the wall was a cabinet, which I guessed was filled with medical supplies. …Is marijuana legal here?

"What was that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of you falling."

"Okay, fine!" I said loudly, my temper spiking. I heard him chuckling, and he lifted me from the cot. It was then when I felt like a little kid, especially compared to him.

He set me down on the floor, looked at the clock, and then at me. "Perfect, you'll be able to make it to archery." he said.

I grimaced, "Do I have to? I'd rather just… go and not shoot arrows. I've had a bad experience with arrows."

He shook his head, now serious. "No. You've missed your activities for a month now. Now that I think about it, I don't know why Chiron or Mr. D haven't been on your case about that.."

"I'm a daughter of Hades," I said, "I'm not considered a normal demigod. You know how people ignore Nico-"

"-they don't ignore you-"

"-they don't have to, Will."

He was frowning at me by now, having his arms crossed. "If you don't go to your activities I'll…"

"You'll what?"

He smirked, "I'll take you to Mr. D."

It's sad to say, but I gave in. "All right."

He gave me a toothy smile, and then grabbed a bright, pink flower off the table and put it in my hair, "I think they forgot to put this one in."

-xxx-

"Will, you _know _I'm bad at this." I said, cringing as my arrow hit the ground, ten feet from the target. He was standing a few feet away, analyzing me. "And would you stop that? It's creeping me out."

He waved his hand, ignoring my pleas. "One more try, then we can go to lunch. Does that sound good?"

"C'mon, no more. I think I should practice with swords instea-"

"One more."

"Fine," I growled out, pulled the arrow back, and let it go, without even looking at where it hit. "Can we go now? My tummy wants some food, Will!" He didn't answer, he just lifted his hand to point at that target. Speaking while I turned, I said, "What is it-" but stopped dead.

I hit it. Not a bull's-eye, mind you, but I actually hit a target rather than a tree or a person. I turned to him, grinning. "I got it! Now can we go?"

"Sure, sure…"

We walked to the pavilion together, chatting along the way. The only thing we couldn't help was the table rule, and his brothers wanted to talk to him anyway, something about a chariot race that was going to take place in a few days. I took this as a chance to talk to Elena, who sat a little too close to where _he _sat for my liking, before everyone filled the tables.

I sat down across from her, next to Percy, who looked a little uncomfortable because I was sitting so close to him. I turned to him to tell him to leave, but his eyes widened, surprised, when he saw me. Without a word he got up and went to speak to Annabeth, who looked over at me with wide eyes as well.

"What's up with him?" I asked Elena, who was rolling her eyes at my absentmindedness.

"You don't normally look like this. Your hair is usually down, but now you have it in a braid. With flowers. And then you have that big, pink monstrosity-"

"-it doesn't look bad, does it?" I asked, my pitch high, panic in my tone.

"No, but… it's different. You would expect that from a child of Aphrodite or Demeter… not you."

"Oh," I said, "well, I didn't put it in my hair. Will did."

She blinked, startled. "Will?" she said slowly, "why would he…?"

I glanced around the pavilion, and nobody's eyes were on us, except for Chiron, who whispered something to _him _and he turned to us. I gave him a sour look and leaned across the table, grabbing Elena by her shirt and pulling her towards me, whispering in her ear. "Look. Mr. D and I… yeah, nothing's going on there, 'kay? I don't wanna talk about it, maybe later, when there aren't so many people around. But yesterday I fell asleep uh… crying and bleeding, and Nico brought me to the Apollo cabin or something, and Will fixed me up. We're friends, that's it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up. What happened between you and Mr. D?"

I shrugged helplessly, staring at the table rather than her or him, or anyone really. "He never wanted me Elena. I look just like Ariadne, he was using me, and I was just too boring. It's my fault-"

"No, it's not! That fucking- that- I _swear _I'll- how dare he- I'll murder him! I don't care if Zeus gets pissed if I do-" thunder rumbled overhead- "and I don't care if he zaps me, I'm going to kill-"

"-okay, that's enough! We get your concern, but _please _shut it," said Apollo, covering her mouth with his hand. The rumbling of thunder stopped, but everyone was looking at us now. Obviously they all heard, and even though they don't know what she was talking about, Dionysus- _Mr. D_- does.

And where the fuck did Apollo come from?

I bit my lip, and as Apollo moved his hand from her mouth, she asked, "Are you all right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, 'course I am. Even if- I mean- it's just- it's my fault anyway, so it's fine."

She shook her head, "No, no, Emilie. It's not your fault that he's such a douche bag, it's his."

I shrugged, but jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Elena, I think we should probably take this outside…"

She turned around and saw that everyone was, in fact, staring at us. She nodded quickly, "That would be good."

Will grabbed my by the hand and Elena followed closely next to me, our arms pretty much touching. But with Will, he was really pulling me out rather than just holding my hand, but nobody else knew that. Apollo held Elena's hand, and I swear I saw something shin-

"Tell me the entire story," Elena demanded. I blinked, not even realizing we were already outside.

"No," I said, pulling away from them. "It's not important, just- just leave me alone." I slipped out of their grasp- really, I was surprised, though Apollo didn't really try to grab me- but instead of running into my cabin or into the forest or something, I went back to eat.

Everyone was already over it, and for that, I was glad. I sat down at the Hades table with Nico, who I'm surprised was still here. Usually he leaves camp after a day or so, but it's been a while. We didn't exchange any words, he just pushed over the other half of his pomegranate. I tore one off and put it in my mouth, and nodded to him. We both knew what it meant.

He was forgiven.

-xxx-

I avoided the two of them- Apollo didn't count- for a number of days after that. It really wasn't fair to either of them, Elena who was just coming back to life, and Will, who's been a really good friend, but I didn't want to face them. Not yet. And besides, Will couldn't even know. Which brings up the question, why did he stand up for me, anyway? He didn't even know what was going on.

Nico and I have been… bonding, so to say. He's the only one who I can really talk to- not about Mr. D, of course, that's girl territory- and be around with. He told me about Bianca and how he was incredibly angry at Percy. I told him about my mom and how I was incredibly mad at Dad for letting her die.

But… one bad thing came from hanging around Nico too much. I was becoming more… gloomy. Not depressed, like I used to be, but like a child of Hades should be. I began wearing all black- with the exception of my sword-clip, which was purple, and the skull choker Nico got me. I've been putting on darker eye-shadow lately, and even though I put blush on to make it seem like I have a little color, it doesn't help all that much. Yesterday a son of Aphrodite told me I looked hot, but that doesn't make me feel any better.

"I think you should apologize to Will and Elena," said Nico, who was sitting beside me in the shadow of a tree.

I made a face, "I don't like apologizing."

"I know, but I still think that you should do it, before it's too late. You have sailing in an hour, that'll be the perfect chance to apologize to them both." He gave me a look that said, "You better do this, damn it."

I groaned but nodded, "All right, all right, I'll do it."

"Great."

We didn't say anything after that, we just… sat there in the shadows. When the hour finally came up, I was very hesitant to go, but Nico pretty much dragged me there by my hair. He doesn't kid around all that much, so when he tells me to do something, he's serious.

When we got to the lake, he hid in a shadow of a tree. Any other demigod wouldn't have seen him, but I'm not like any other demigod, so I saw the very, _very _scary look he gave me when I began walking the opposite way. I turned around immediately, spotting Elena and Will getting a boat ready. There were a few other kids, but they weren't all that important. I made my way over to the boat, glancing detestably at the water. "Hey," I said when I reached them.

The two stopped what they were doing the instant I spoke, and looked up. I didn't give them the chance to speak, "I'm sorry about how I reacted to your help, but I'm not sorry for not talking about it. It's not something I'd like to share at the moment. When I'm ready to tell you the full story, I will." Okay, I'll admit, it's not much of an apology, but it's all they're getting.

Elena gave me a small smile whereas Will gave me a grin. "Come aboard," Will said, offering me a hand. Smiling, I took it, ready to have a bit of camp fun with the two of them. After all, when will I get another chance?

-xxx-

"And then he said, 'Because! He's no mortal, he's a god!" erupted Will, telling the punch line of the newest demigod joke. I giggled, looking up at him- have I ever mentioned how _tall _this guy is?- and stumbled over my own feet.

His eyes widened, and he gripped my arm. "Whoa, careful there," he said, his eyebrows furrowing. "Are okay?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Of course I am, I just can't seem to stay balanced on my own feet."

"Hm…" he said, thinking. "We'll just have to fix that, now won't we?"

"What do you have in mind?"

He offered me his arm, giving me a sheepish grin. "Shall we walk, M'lady?"

I took his arm with my own, "Of course, kind sir."

We walked to the pavilion like that, arm in arm. It wasn't romantic or anything, we weren't like that. Will is like, twenty anyway… _But Dionysus is twenty-five physically, not to mention how old he really is…._

I shook my head, as if it would shake the thoughts away. If he was using me… fine, I'll show him! I'll flirt with any guy who shows interest, starting with Will. I'll show him that I'm not upset over this, that I don't need him to live.

I laid my head on Will's arm, giggling at another joke he said, "My gods, you're really funny," I told him, smiling brightly at him.

He smiled back at me, his blue eyes showing hints of gold in the sun, "I know."

He escorted me to my table, and I quickly glanced at Dionysus. He was staring at us with a disgusted look on his face, and when he saw me looking, he looked away, clearly not interested. I grinned wider, it was working.

After I was sitting down- Nico was nowhere to be seen- Will was at his own table, and most of the camp had filled the pavilion, Chiron stood up. The expression on his face was odd… forced, almost, like he didn't want to do what he was about to do.

"CAMPERS!" he yelled, incredibly loudly, I might add, to get all of our attention. It was only seconds before the entire pavilion was silent. "I must inform you of a… new change in rules. Rule number one, no joke telling. Rule number two, boys and girls are not allowed to walk alone from place to place, especially at night. And rule number three, all dances from here on are to be cancelled."

It was silence for a moment, but then chaos erupted, and it was mostly the Aphrodite kids, but other tables joined in too. I was silent, though, I didn't know what to make of this new announcement.

"-what do you mean we can't walk from place to place-"

"-no jokes? Seriously? How am I supposed to pick up chicks-"

"-no dances? But-but… how am I supposed to-"

"ENOUGH!" screamed Chiron. "I know these rules will be… difficult to deal with, but they are for the best. Mr. D, our _camp director, _agrees with me one-hundred percent. There will be a complete list of rules on the bulletin boards in the morning. This is all, have a nice lunch."

Everybody began conversing among themselves, but I stared at Chiron and Mr. D. We caught eyes, Mr. D and I, and he looked at me for a long second, a blank expression on his face, before looking away.

-xxx-

I went to bed early that night, but it didn't help. With my insomnia- though it was only minimum- I wasn't asleep until at least midnight, if anything. I didn't have any dreams, and if I did, I didn't remember them. I knew I still had to go visit that girl, and I promised myself I would do it the next day, but the next day just kept coming.

I was awoken the next morning by Elena pounding on my door. "What is it?" I mumbled, still half asleep. I glanced at the clock, 6:00 a.m.

"You'll want to see these," she said from behind the door.

I sighed and went outside, my hair still a mess and still in my pajamas. It was six in the morning, who was gonna be up?

Everybody, apparently. But I wasn't too worried, almost everyone was in the same state as I was. They were all crowded around the bulletin board, and it was a long while before we got there.

**NEW RULES OF CAMP HALF-BLOOD**

**Children of gods or goddesses starting with the letter H are not allowed to leave their cabin on Tuesdays and Fridays.**

**Blondes are not allowed to talk to non-blondes**

**Girls with black hair are not allowed to wear makeup, nor boys. **

**Boys and girl are not allowed five feet of each other within activities. **

**You are only to attack in capture the flag, nothing more. If you are caught associating with the opposite sex you will be punished. **

**Boys and girls are only allowed one foot within each other at meals.**

**During everything else, boys and girls are to be thirty feet away from each other. **

**All boys and girls are to sleep on the opposite side of the cabin. **

**Girls under the age of forty are not allowed to leave camp without permission. **

**Boys and girls whose names start with the letter E, L, P, W, S, D, N, O, or V are allowed to touch, talk, converse, or even look at each other. **

**Boys who have blonde hair are not allowed to do the following: hug, kiss, or touch a girl who is the same age, or within a five age term. **

**Dates are not allowed between boys and girls. Boys and boys, or girls and girls, although, is perfectly acceptable. **

**Curfew for all campers is 8:00 P.M.**

**Unless it involves killing, there are to be no festivals or social events.**

**Girls with black and brown hair are not allowed to wear skirts. **

**Girls with black hair are not to wear shorts shorter than the knee. **

**All girls are to wear tennis shoes, no Converse, heels, or flats allowed. **

**No speaking of the following languages: French, Italian, or Swedish.**

**Campers under the age of 100 are not allowed to venture into the forest alone. **

**Girls under the age of 55 are not allowed to venture into the forest, period.**

**Any children who do not call Mr. D, Mr. D, will be promptly hung by their feet. **

**If you have any comments on these rules, there is nobody to tell. You're too Greek for happiness, suck it up!**

Once I finished reading, my eyes narrowed, and I made a loud snort. "This has Mr. D all over it."

"You think so?" asked Elena, who looked over- and down- at me.

I nodded, "Yeah. 'You're too Greek for happiness'? Do you really think Chiron would say that?"

She shook her head, "No…but these rules, they're ridiculous! Why would he assign them?"

"To make my life miserable, obviously," I replied.

She gave me an odd look, "Would he really do that?"

I raised my arms over my head, "For Zeus' sake, Elena, look at the last one!"

"…will be hung by their feet," she muttered. "Maybe… but didn't you say he broke up with you?"

"Yes, which is why I'm so confused!"

She shrugged, "Why don't we go back to sleep? We can figure this out later."

The day continued on terribly. In archery I couldn't have Will help me, because he was five feet away and we weren't allowed to even _look _at each other. I couldn't break the rules because Mr. D was there. When I asked him why he was following me, he called me stupid and said that the world doesn't revolve around me.

But once or twice… I caught Will staring, and I couldn't help it when my cheeks flamed. It's a good thing I wear blush, or else that wouldn't look normal.

-xxx-

That night I snuck out of my cabin. I was dressed in shorts, which were higher than the knee, they were halfway up my thigh, a T-shirt, and a jacket- all in black, of course- and wore my flats. I would've gone with my Converse, but they make too much noise when I sneak around. And no, I'm not going to wear sneakers. If I'm breaking the rules by sneaking out, I might as well break them this way too.

I shut my cabin door quietly. There was nobody out, nobody _awake, _and the only light I could see was from the full moon above me. I crept through camp to the entrance… if I left, would he follow me?

Probably.

But it was three in the morning, I doubt he would even care enough to wake up. The thought made me feel more relaxed, so I crossed the magic border and left the camp.

The asylum wasn't too far from the camp, so I decided to go on foot. I doubt there would be any danger out here. After all, monsters need their sleep, too! And besides, I have my sword-clip-thing, so I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself.

I walked into town, curious as to who this girl was. Was she involved with Hypnos? I wonder, does he love her? I hope things end well with them… like Elena and Apollo… at least their relationship means something.

The buildings were dark, and there were multiple alleys. I was going the right way, right? I hoped so, because I didn't know the city very well in the dark.

As I wandered into town, a chill went down my spine. I felt like I was being followed, and I really didn't it. "Hello?" I called out, spinning around in a circle, to get a full view of my surroundings. Pressure increased on my chest as my heartbeat quickened, and I swear I heard footsteps. I was terrified.

The street lamp above me went out, and my eyes went wide. "Is anyone there?"

It was when I felt the blade on my neck and the breathing in my ear when I let out a mangled sound. There was a man behind me… a man who smelled like beer and liquor, a man who was holding a knife to my throat, and a man who was… who was running his hand down my side. My hands began shaking, and I went to grab my clip-

"Oh no you don't," he said, the knife cutting my skin the tiniest bit. I winced as I felt the blood running down my neck.

"I'm sorry," I let out, "I was just scratching my nose. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I wanted that knife to keep from getting any deeper into my neck!

The man let out a laugh, and I tried not to vomit. I was a demigod for Zeus' sake, I should be able to keep myself from getting killed. "You're pretty," he whispered in my ear. Then his hands went to my shirt and began to lift it up.

If I could look anymore horrified, then I did. His hand was on my ribcage when I kicked him. He was behind me, but I managed to kick him where, well, he didn't want to be kicked. The knife left my neck, and I heard him swear. "You little bitch…" he muttered, and before I could think, he plunged the knife into my arm.

I unclipped my sword and stabbed him in the chest before I felt the pain. Then I collapsed to my knees, tears rolling down my cheeks, my teeth clenched together. It's not the wounds that bothered me, it's the fact that I'm stupid enough to do things like this. Sure, I was protected against monsters, but people? Isn't it a little lame that I can be beat up by a drunk?

I figured that shadow-traveling may not be the best idea, but it was the only thing I wanted to do. I jumped into the shadow of a street lamp and found myself, after traveling in what seemed like ice, in my mother's old room. In Serena's current room.

She was pretty, but in her condition… she looked awful. Her hair was a dark brown, but it was messy and flat. Her skin was flawless and white, but the dark circles under her eyes made her look like she was possessed. Another thing, her blue eyes were staring at me as I walked towards her. She had her arms wrapped around her legs, and she was sitting in a corner.

"Who are you?" she demanded, "Are you another one? Another one who's not real?"

I shook my head, "No, no. I'm real," and to prove my point, I touched her arm. It didn't go well, because she just jerked away. "Serena," I said, "Hypnos sent me. He told me to give you a message."

When she didn't say anything, I continued. "He said that you can't hide from him, he's a god. He said that you need to get over your pride, because you're only hurting yourself."

She rolled her eyes and snorted, "Oh, that's rich, coming from him. Especially since he didn't come here himself."

I kept going, "He also said that he was sorry."

She turned to look at me again, her eyes wide. "Seriously?" I nodded. "Well-I-okay."

I stood up, "Yeah, so please, get some sleep, because you look just awful."

Surprisingly, she did. She stood up- very shakily, I might add- and went over to her bed. I was halfway out the door when she asked, "Who are you?"

"Emilie Reynolds," I answered, giving her a sad smile.

-xxx-

Fuck, okay, now I'm just lost.

I took the knife out of my arm ages ago, and now I was just gripping it, keeping it from bleeding. The wound on my neck was only a scratch, and it stopped bleeding a while ago. But now I was cold, lost, hurt, and tired. It was only when Mr. D appeared did I really feel like absolute crap.

He was barefoot, in jeans and a purple polo shirt. His hair was messy, and he looked really irritated…but I couldn't help but stare at him. Together or not, he was still a god, and he was still super hot. He leaned against a wall, his arms crossed. "You know you aren't supposed to leave camp." He said blankly.

I shrugged, still gripping my arm. "I had things to do, people to meet. And besides, rules are meant to be broken, why else are they made?"

"Listen to me, girl-"

"-no."

"What?"

"Can't you hear? I said no!" I said angrily. Why did he have to be here? Why did it have to be now?

He took a threatening step forward, now off the wall. "You don't have the position to be talking to me like that!" he growled out.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Oh, I'm sorry. I just don't like to listen to lying douche-bags like yourself, that's all."

The light above went out, but this time, the light bulb actually burst, courtesy of Mr. D's temper. Everything was black, but then my pupils dilated, and because I'm a daughter of Hades, I could see him even better than before. … And damn, was I glad,

With him being tired, sober, and angry, he transformed into his Roman-mode.

"_So if I see a god or goddess in their Roman form, I run."_

"_Exactly."_

My blood went cold at the memory. I did tell him I would run… but that was back then, why would he care now? But… well… I can't say he's sexier as a Roman- yes I can- but he certainly looks different. He was… he was darker, taller, and sexier.

His aura was much more dark, though more contained, and dangerous. He was at least six and a half feet tall, and _damn. _His hair, which used to be so black it was purple, was so brown it looked reddish. His shirt was a burgundy color and his jeans were black. He was just… just…. "You're sexy as a Roman," I blurted out, unable to control myself.

His eyebrows furrowed, and he looked at me like I was crazy, which I found weird, because he _knows _crazy. I just shrugged, "Well, as _fun _as this has been, I really need to go, _Mr. B. _Oh yeah, nice rules you set, I really like not following them." It took most of my effort to keep my voice so loud and so tough, because I felt really dizzy, like I was about to collapse right there.

I suppose this comment reminded him why I was angry, so when I turned around to leave, he grabbed my bad arm. "Ow!" I yelpled, trying to pull away. That didn't work, his grip only tightened.

"Wha-?" I heard him mutter. He quickly let go of my arm, "What is this?" he demanded, looking at his hand, then at me. When I didn't reply, he asked again. "WHAT IS THIS?"

Because he pretty much scared me to death in his Roman form, I answered him. "Blood," I said in weak voice.

"Blood," he repeated, looking over my head. Was it me… or did he sound almost dazed?

"Yeah," I whispered. "And because you're my camp director, you came to take me back, so can you do so? I really just want to go home."

Even though he was in his Roman form, he didn't say anything. He just grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and we appeared back at camp. … At least, I think. I didn't know for sure, because I passed out at the loss of blood.

-xxx-

When I woke up, I was back in that damned cot. This time, my arm was wrapped in bandages. One of Will's sisters walked into the room and smiled at me, "Good morning!"

I placed a hand to my neck, happy to not find a cut there. "Is there a scar?" I asked her.

She looked at me weirdly, "No, but you don't remember? Maybe it was too dark. Last night you came in here, all bloody, gave yourself some ambrosia, wrapped up your arm, and passed out."

I did? No… no, I would clearly remember if I did. But if I didn't do it, that leaves- "Oh, yeah. I remember now. I guess I should leave now, is Will here?"

She nodded, "Yes, but you can't see him. New rules, remember? This morning Mr. D came to breakfast, in a bad mood, apparently, and turned some kid into a shrub because he was making out with his girlfriend."

"Oh… well, thanks."

"No problem-o!"

I stood up and got out of the cot- amazing, I know- and walked outside. I glanced up at the sun, which was bright in the sky, and sighed. Then I looked at my arm. I didn't feel it, was it numb? Maybe the ambrosia was doing that.

Walking to my cabin, I noticed a lot of sad, or pissed, kids all around camp. These new rules were getting to everyone, that much I could tell. All right, I've decided. I quickly changed into some new clothes once I got into my cabin, then ran to the lake, where I knew Elena would be.

She was dipping her feet into the water, and I plopped down next to her. "I'm going to cause a big scene at dinner today."

She didn't even bother to glance at me, "Don't you do that, anyway?"

"No! … yes, but I don't mean to. This time, it's intentional."

-xxx-

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, I'm telling you. By the time dinner rolled around, I had done my chores, went through my activities, and even had time to clean up my cabin. It was difficult, not putting any makeup on, but that stupid rule… Oh well, even if I didn't have any color in my cheeks, I still looked pretty. It was natural looking, but I preferred the dark stuff.

Elena and I walked to dinner, making small talk. She knew what I was planning, warned me against it, then told me how to make it even better. When everyone was seated- this was after we had given some of our food to the gods- and Chiron spoke to everybody, when I did it.

I stood up from my seat and walked to the Apollo table. Everyone was looking, because before we couldn't do it, but now nobody would even dare try. I tapped Will's shoulder, and when he turned around, I grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him towards me, and kissed him full on the lips.

Will pulled me closer, to the point where I was sitting on his lap, and a bunch of the Aphrodite girls squealed. But that stopped suddenly. I don't know why, I didn't bother to look.

Will… he tasted like… the sun. I know nobody has ever tasted the sun, well, other than Elena, so nobody can know what I'm talking about… but it was nice. He was warm, and I suppose I was super cold to him. We were opposites, yet here we were, making out in front of everyone.

When I pulled away, I kissed his cheek and stood up, only to see Mr. D, or Mr. B, or whoever the fuck he was- but really, he was in Greek-form- glaring at Will and I. "What?" I snapped.

"That's against the rules," he snapped back, sneering at me.

"Does it look like I care? Because I don't. Might as well turn me into a shrub now before I kiss him again," I replied, smirking at him. I looked at Will, and he was raising an eyebrow at me. I winked at him in return. "Oops," I said, "I looked at him! Whatever will you do now that my eyes have seen him? Hm?"

"You'll be punished for this."

"Will I? I can't seem to make myself care. These rules are stupid, aren't they everyone?" I asked, then looked around. The all began agreeing with me, cheering, but were all silenced by his glare.

Mr. D's glared at me, and he slammed his palms on the table, standing up. "You shouldn't talk to me that way, especially for what I did for you."

Because the place where Chiron and Mr. D sat was several steps higher than the ground where I stood, I climbed onto the Apollo table and placed my hands on my hips. "Oh? And what did you do for me? Because I can't recall anything good!"

He smirked, "You don't think that you bandaged yourself up like you were told, do you?"

My eyes widened, and my hands clenched into fists at my sides, my arms stiff. "Please, like that was you. I was under the impression that you hated me, unless you suddenly have feelings for a camper?"

He rolled his eyes, disgusted. "Please, I wouldn't go that low. Don't flatter yourself. The only reason I haven't _murdered _you yet is because your father would have my head if I did."

"Yeah? Well, you can go fuck yourself for all I care," I replied, then hopped off the table, walked to my own, and continued eating. I knew that everyone was staring at me, but I've been waiting for spaghetti night all week, I wasn't going to pass it up now. Even for a few stares and a god glaring daggers at me the whole time.

When dinner ended and everyone left the pavilion, I suddenly became the most popular girl at camp. Will instantly found me, taking my hand in his, leading me to my cabin. All of a sudden, nobody cared about the rules, because Mr. D hadn't even punished me. Boys and girls were holding hands, hugging, kissing…

"That was amazing," Will said, leaning down and kissing my nose.

I giggled, "Thank you."

I would act happy for now, then I'd sort my feelings out later. All I needed to care about right now was that I actually liked Will, and I knew he would be good to me.

"So… do you uh… want to date, now?" he asked me, a little unsure and awkward.

I nodded, smiling, "Sure."

He grinned, relieved. "Awesome."

Everyone congratulated me, even though I really don't know what for, all I did was get yelled at, but they was really, really nice, everything was happy. Except for that fucking pain in my chest.

It started out small, but it kept growing the longer people came to talk to me, the longer I was with Will. I was so relieved when Nico came and said he needed to borrow me. He brought me to our cabin, locked the door, and threw me on my bed.

I looked up to him, confused, only to see him with his arms crossed. "What did you do at dinner?"

"Nothing," I said innocently. He sighed.

"I'll find out later. But Dad found something out, and he told me to tell you." Nico… he sounded really worried.

"What is it?" I asked, concerned. Did someone die again?

He looked at me before saying, "Hermes' staff has gone missing."

-xxx-

**Hey! This is a super quick update, huh?**

**I was home sick, so I had time to type. I really hope you like it, and I'm always open to suggestions and questions! **


	14. Chapter 14

Shaking his head, smirking slightly, Nico looked down at his papers. "How was it," he began, "that I knew you wouldn't understand, Father?" This was a new side to Nico that I've never seen before. He seemed… dark, dangerous… and a little angry. I didn't understand the sudden change in him, but I suspected a girl was the cause of it, though I didn't know of anyone that would have gotten his attention the way this one has. I decided it was best not to ask him about it, in fear he might eat my head off.

My father, Nico, and I were all in the main conference room in the Underworld. I never set foot in that room a day before in my life, so when Nico shadow-traveled us to my father's throne room, I expected he would poof up a couch or two right there… but no. My father was too lazy to do that, so he brought us to this extremely large conference room. It reminded me of an office, but for like, vampires or something.

It was pitch black and freezing, but I didn't seem to mind. With inherited traits from my father, my vision was like a cat's, seeing perfectly in the dark. My body adapted to the temperature easily. It was different than in the North Pole… I just couldn't explain how. It was more unnatural, and that's why I could live in it.

The room was long itself, but the table I couldn't even see the end of. Made of something like onyx, it was smooth enough to side on, and wide enough, too. It was shiny, not that it could be told, seeing as there was no light in the room. It was just… that sort of rock. Onyx had those qualities. Along the side were ordinary black chairs, which I suspected were leather, and on the ends were very grand, throne-like chairs. At least, I assumed there was one on the other end, I couldn't see it.

As my father made his way to the grand chair, I did as well. Just as he sat down, I pushed him off and onto the floor, making myself comfortable. I tucked my feet under me, and laid my head on the table. Surprisingly, he didn't complain. He sat in the ordinary black chair across Nico, propping his feet up. Nico was working on some papers he brought with him. "For school," he said, "I'm a senior, you know." As if that explained _anything. _

Shaking my head, I tried to focus on their current conversation. "I'm telling you," my father said, shaking his head, "looking for it will get you _nowhere_." In his hands was a skull, and he was tossing it from one palm to the other. Whether it was real or not… I couldn't tell you. But it was only common sense, why would he have a _fake _skull?

My father looked a bit different. Like he was trying to change his appearance, but he really didn't know how. His hair was black and curly, but he had this beard type thing going on. It was… well… how do I explain it? It wasn't like a stubble… but…. I hate to say it, but it kind of looked like the beard Jesus always has in those paintings and statues and glass windows in church. It didn't suit him, because right now, he looked way too young for a Jesus-beard. It made him look almost like a rock star… a Jesus rock star.

Nico paused, the sound his pencil made against the paper suddenly stopping, and he looked up at my father. "Maybe not… but I'll take my chances."

"Why?" was my father's only reply, but I could tell my brother was testing his patience.

"Because there is nothing to _do _here," my brother shot back. I could tell that out father was irritating him as well, but I figured this happened pretty often. "What else do you expect me to do?"

My father's head tilted back, staring at the incredibly pointy, black, and dangerous ceiling. Shrugging, he said, "I don't know. Why don't you go to that camp of yours, or something?"

"The camp where people ignore me all the time? Where they just assume I'm just a shadow? And when they do look, they stare?"

"Yes?"

"Well, actually…" I began, lifting my head up. My vision as a bit blurry, not that it mattered, and my words were slurred, like I was drunk. I pulled my thick hair back behind my neck, but one strand just. Kept. Falling. Forward. It irritated me, but I tried my best to ignore it. "Almost every girl, besides the ones who are happily in love-"

"-and you," my father said, cutting in. I stared at him. "Well, you're not _happily _in love, now are you?"

I narrowed my eyes, not replying, and continued speaking. "-are at least a little attracted to him. He's so, ahem, 'dark and mysterious.' So honestly, I don't blame him for wanting to come here and escape from that."

The two of them only looked at me, like I had been looking at them a few moments previously. My eyes darted between the two of them, and I leaned back in my chair, giving them a look of disbelief. "Come on… seriously? Nico, you _have _to know what a lady-charmer you are!"

Silence.

Then, "That's my boy," my dad said. … which, at the moment the comment was said, I thought was on crack. Was it lack of sleep? I know from experience, that when I don't sleep, I say some pretty loopy things… but it was more probable that he just suddenly caring about family and relationships between people than the two previous options.

And at least between the three of us, someone was sane, and that someone was Nico. He looked at our father like he was crazy, and awkwardly nodded, turning back to his homework. "Thanks…"

To my utter horror, my father turned to me. "What do _you_ think about the missing staff?"

"What do I think?" I asked. Licking my already chapped lips, I shrugged. "I don't really have anything to say about it. Hermes is being very smart about this, I must say. He's been searching for it… didn't Zeus freak out right away when his Master Bolt was stolen?"

My father nodded, "Yes… and he blamed both Poseidon and I, not even bothering to look at the evidence first."

"Well… He hasn't even told anyone but you, and he sorta has to tell you. It would be a little weird for him to be wandering around the Underworld without giving you a reason first. Do you think he'll have demigods go looking for it?"

His lips formed a firm line, and my dad turned serious. "If he doesn't find it soon… I know he will. He'll have no other choice, he doesn't know the area well enough."

Nico's pencil broke, and he looked up at my father, an odd look in his eyes. "You didn't tell me that."

"It didn't… come up. I couldn't tell you much."

"Wait. Nico," I said, "why is it such a big deal?"

"Because, if he doesn't know the area well enough, he's going to need a demigod who does. …And who are the only two demigods who have anything to _do _with the underworld?"

"…us." I whispered, suddenly feeling very, _very _cold.

"Yes," my dad said, "so don't be surprised if you're going on another quest Emilie." He looked to Nico, who nodded. They seemed to have a secret, silent conversation, and I couldn't figure out what they were saying.

"Now, off to bed, both of you! We can finish this in the morning, I have a few things to take care of…"

-xxx-

"Nico," I said, "you really seem to be enjoying your breakfast."

He paused, halfway through shoving yet _another _bite of scrambled eggs on a bagel into his mouth. Looking around to see if anyone was looking, he closed his mouth and swallowed, awkwardly lowering the rest onto his plate. "We… never eat out. This must be a special occasion of sorts, because you're here. Normally we eat grain cereal, toast… whatever you can think of. Demeter practically forces it down our throats when she's living with us. And most of the time, Dad is too cheap to by any other food from above ground-"

"-I heard that."

"-and we're stuck eating the left over stuff she gives us. Sometimes I go to camp _just _for the food."

I stuck my tongue out, making a face. "That sounds terrible!"

"It is."

"Oh, stop it," my father said from across from us, "you're being overdramatic."

It was around ten o'clock in the morning, and the three of us were in a local- local to L.A- Waffle House. Things were calm now… but earlier…

It was a hard thing to do, getting me up when I had little to no sleep, but Nico tried, despite knowing he'd probably get kicked in the face. It didn't work, so my father had to come in himself…. That didn't go well, either, but I was awake after that.

Anyway, as we sat in the restaurant, I couldn't help but smile. Did this happen with other demigods? I know some haven't even _met _their godly parent, yet I'm here, eating breakfast in some place with mine. Shouldn't I feel lucky? Not even Percy did this with his dad, yet he was his _only _demigod child- that we know of- with the exception of Tyson, of course… but he doesn't really count.

"Emilie?" asked Nico, who was looking at me with a rather confused look on his face. I looked at him, then looked to my coffee, which I'd been continuously stirring and staring at for the past five minutes.

"Oh… sorry…" I muttered.

"Aren't you going to eat?" asked my father, speaking with a mouth full of bacon.

"Not anymore," I replied, looking away with the feeling of nausea. Couldn't he learn some _manners_?

When he finished chewing, he asked, very nonchalantly, "Did you hear about what happened to Annabeth Chase?" Both Nico and I looked to him, slowly shaking out heads. He grinned, "Then I shouldn't be the one to spoil it… but I'll give you a hint." He leaned closer to us, and whispered, "_She's cursed._"

Nico was very stiff now, and he looked a bit pale. "Cursed how?" he asked in a strange voice. Did he… _no_! He had a crush on _Annabeth_. Who is, mind you, engaged! Was she the girl he was irritated over? Could it be that _because _she's engaged he's been so angry? But… Percy…. Nico is nearly best friends with the guy. I don't think he would do that to him… but then why…?

My father laughed, but it was a very bitter sound, "I can't tell you that, it would ruin the surprise… no… you'll find out in time."

There was a silence, accompanied by a tension, that was almost unbearable. It was only a minute, though it felt like a plethora more, when my brother finally stood up and stormed out of the restaurant, unsure of what to do from there. I sighed, staring down at my coffee again

_And then there was two…_

"It has… come to my understanding that you are now currently involved with Will Solace, son of Apollo," said my father. I didn't say anything, I just kept stirring.

I knew he got angry when I didn't answer him, but what was I supposed to say? "Oh, yeah. I'm dating Will, the guy who's the son of the sun, and should be my natural-born enemy." Ah… no.

So, to get be riled up, or so I figured, my dad said, "You get over men quite quickly."

It would be best not to say anything, Em… don't say anything…

"And you seem to like them much older than you, don't you?"

Say nothing, say nothing, say nothing…

"Well?" he demanded, forcefully slamming his fist on the table. A few people, from the tables surrounding us, looked over. It didn't look _too _weird, but if they had to guess, he was my much, _much _older boyfriend, and he seemed a bit angry and abusive.

"I don't know… I… he's good to me, okay? I know he won't hurt me, and I know he'll do whatever he can to make me happy. We never fight, he always forgives he, he's always happy…" I sounded like I was being scolded! I shouldn't be judged for who I'm dating… especially when he's a nice guy. I also sound, and feel, like I'm defending his innocence from a very mean judge.

My father leaned back in the seat he was in- it was a plastic white booth, like the ones at McDonalds- and it seemed that it was a habit of his. I noticed that I did it quite often, as well. He didn't seem satisfied with my answer.

"You're not over Dionysus?"

"Not in the littlest bit."

"But you're not trying to make him jealous with Will?" He didn't believe me, I can tell. He thinks that it's weird that when I'm dumped, I don't do everything in my power to make him jealous… which I tried, it just didn't work.

"No… not anymore. Will… he's… he's different, you know? He's a demigod, so he may have a big ego, but not as big compared to a god's. Also, he's not… he couldn't have me killed with a snap of his fingers, and he can't just threaten me to make me insane, or… or…" Gods, I sounded pathetic. I couldn't even come up with another reason!

"Those are terrible reasons."

"No they're not!" I said defensively, but inside I knew. I knew that they wouldn't convince anyone… not even a daughter of Aphrodite… although, they're pretty smart when it comes to this love stuff. I'll just have to ask Aphrodite to lay off me with love and couples… not that she'd agree.

"They are. I think you're still deeply in love with Dionysus, and you're just scared he'll hurt you again. You think that you'll come to love Will, but you know you won't, and the longer you stay with him, you'll hurt him even more in the end."

"I'm leaving," I say under my breath, suddenly standing up. I knew he would hear me. He was a god, after all.

"I- no you're not!" he stood up behind me, grabbed my arm, pulled us into a shadow, and we were gone. "Go to your room," he said to me, as if I was grounded. Wanting to get away from him, I did.

-xxx-

It was a few hours later when I decided that I shouldn't have to give in and stay in my room all day- although it was cool, it was like being in outer space-and I just walked out. The only place I've ever really been to in the Underworld was the palace where my dad lived at, but the rest of it was so big that I wouldn't even know where to start. Still, I felt a natural pull to this place, and I could probably find my way around it easily…

No. I shook my head, knowing where my thoughts were headed. I wouldn't volunteer for the quest, it was out of the question! The last quest I was on, Elena died. Who would be next? Me?

But if I was chosen by the Fates… I wouldn't have a choice. I might as well familiarize myself with at least a _part _of it before it was too late. I walked out of the closer, only having a little trouble with the giant door on my way out. It was pretty heavy, and I had to ask a few skeletons to help me out. I made them swear that they wouldn't tell, and they swore on the Styx.

The palace was surrounded by a lot of things, but the part where I exited, bushes of thorns was between me and my way to the outer parts. I grimaced but walked forward, to the bushes. The strangest thing happened though… the moment I went to touch it, the bush withered away from my hand, so I couldn't even be harmed.

Smiling lightly to myself, I began walking, watching as the harmful plants around me withered and died. I walked forward, through the crispy, black leaves. It was fine, simple, they were dead. However, as I glanced behind me, the plant was fully "alive" no longer dead and crispy, but still black. It was the Underworld, though, so I wasn't surprised. Things like this, I suppose, happen all the time.

It was no walk in the park, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless. It was my home, and as odd as it sounded, I've been out there before. A brief memory of my mother, holding me in her arms, walking with my father. It was obviously summer, though there was no sun or sky to determine that. My father isn't an idiot, he wouldn't have my mother, and me, anywhere _near _Persephone, and she was there in the wintertime.

Persephone… was I ever going to meet her? I didn't know if I wanted to, she treated Nico terribly. But… she's away from my father for most of the year, surely she's got to have some demigod kids of her own! … Right?

Things were uneventful for a few hours. I walked, and I walked, and I walked, yet there was nothing truly interesting. A dense forest- it didn't die on me, it was too large and I felt like it would be a waste- surrounded me. And though I much, _much _too proud to admit I was lost in my own element, I was. I was completely, and utterly, lost.

But, I wasn't too worried about it. It was dark, I could always just shadow travel back to the palace, I still wanted to explore. There was something that was _attracting _me out here, and I wanted to find it. The Fates want me to do this!

Was it the staff? I doubted it. Nico knew this place better than I did, and even _he _couldn't find it, but I wasn't going to take the chance. If I could prevent a quest, prevent another person I know from dying, I will.

"Arg!" I screamed in pain. My foot got stuck in the root of a tree, and it sent me flying to the ground. Swearing under my breath, I pushed myself up, kicking my foot out from under the root. It wasn't twisted, thankfully, and nothing was really cut or broken. The only thing almost-wrong with me was that when I fell, a twig made a funny shape into the skin of my palm, but that was it.

I sat on the large root I tripped over, and that's when I noticed a sort of twinkling from under some leaves about twenty feet away. My body acted on its own accord, jolting up. My legs moved swiftly, and I quickly knelt down, ripping the leaves off of the object.

It wasn't the staff… it was… a headband? It looked like one of the kind the Greeks used, sort of wrapping it around their forehead as well. It was coming back into style, but this… this was different. It looked almost like a diadem, with the way it was bejeweled and crafted, but the style wasn't medieval at all.

I picked it up, careful not harm it in any way. I didn't know how old it was, or what or what it was even _doing _there.

"Honestly, how could you lose a sixteen year old girl?" came my fathers voice, several yards away from me. If I could hear him, then he most certainly could hear me! I stopped breathing, stepping behind a tree, making my movements as light and gentle as possible. There was a pause for a moment, but he continued walking as if it were nothing. After all, there were plenty of monsters and "animals" out and about.

"I'm sorry, My Lord," said one of the skeletons with my father. I recognized his voice. "She made us swear on the Styx."

"_Idiots_!" my father belted out, "How long did it take you to realize that _you_ _were already dead_?"

"We-well…" stammered the skeleton man, "a few hours…"

"But," piped up another, it sounded like a girl, "we were very busy, sir!"

I couldn't see them, because I had my back to a dark purple tree, but from what I remembered of what I saw earlier… they sort of creeped me out. Not the actual skeletons, I mean, they were cool and they were nice to me, but when they talked… I didn't know how it worked. _Technically _they have no muscles, cartilage, vocal cords… zip, zilch, nada. They had _none _of that. Oh, well. Forget technicalities!

The crown/diadem/headband was firmly in my hands, my fingers were curled around it. I refused to let it go. This is what had attracted me out here, I wasn't eager to give it up to my father. I knew he wouldn't appreciate it the way I would, he would just toss it to the side or give it to Persephone! And I knew, even if I never met her, that it would never even _suit _her.

I couldn't hide out here for forever. It was only a matter of time before they sensed me out here, either by my heat or life force or _whatever _it is they do. And if they don't find me, some monster- or worse- will, and it'll probably eat me.

Where could I put it? The first thing was to put it in my bra or shirt, but it wouldn't fit, for one, and I couldn't- wouldn't- risk breaking it. I didn't have a bag or pockets on me, and I most certainly could _not _put it on my head…

I tip-toed through the forest, going in the direction where they came from, but sure to keep a good, solid distance. While they were walking, I was skipping from root to root, careful not to step on any dead leaves- they would make a very, very loud and distinct crunch. No, it felt like I was flying.

I reached the castle only a minute before they did. I only had time to shove the crown in a vase, pick all of the leaves and twigs out of my hair, and brush the dirt off of my clothes before they walked in. The skeleton saw me first, then my father, who narrowed is eyes at me. He walked over and plucked a dead leaf out of my hair.

Damn, I missed one.

"I can completely explain that," I said, staring at the lead in his hands. "I can…I…" He made a motion with his hands, as to say, "Well, go ahead!"

"I went… exploring."

He blinked at me, "Is that it?"

"Well, no. I found this crown, and I was actually wondering if I could keep it."

"Hm? Oh, yes, sure." He goes looking for me, finds me, and is already busy in less than ten seconds. I suppose that it isn't all fun and games, being a major god such as himself. I shrugged my shoulders, dipping my hand into the vase and skipped off. At least I could keep it.

However, when he went to leave the room, he flashed me a look. A very _knowing _look.

-xxx-

As I stared into the mirror, the expression on my face blank, I couldn't help but think about how ridiculous I looked. My black hair in a braid down my back, my sword-clip keeping my bangs out of my face, I noticed that it wasn't a curly ball of frizz. My hair was smooth, soft, and shiny, you could tell even in the braid. My eyes, flashing more red than brown these days, was barely highlighted by any makeup. That is, there was hardly makeup to begin with. With no eyeliner in sight, I only had powder and blush to work with… so I was very natural-looking. What I wore was white linen, draped across my body in a very, in lack of a better word, Greek way. It reached my ankles and had two button-like pins, black with skulls imprinted into it, clipping the two halves on my shoulders, with slits up my legs to my thighs. However, I had to admit, no matter how ridiculous it felt, it looked rather good on me.

The only real reason I was wearing the ridiculous, Greek attire, was because I didn't have any other clothes in the Underworld. Anything I did, I brought back to camp, and returning just to come back wasn't on my list of plans.

I jumped as a knock on the door broke through the silence of them room, my breathing being the exception. Turning slightly, I said, "Come in."

The tarnished, rather modern-looking doorknob turned, and into the room came my brother, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He took one look at me, blinked, then began to laugh. Straight at my face.

"Don't say a word," I growled at him, "I don't have anything else to wear."

"Oh, I know," was his smart reply. If you didn't see the smirk playing on his lips, you certainly saw the mischievous look in his eyes. "A few years back I had to do the same thing. However, after one day, I made sure to get some regular, mortal clothes."

I turned back to the mirror, examining my appearance one more time before turning to him once more, pushing past him into my room. My bare feet couldn't be heard against the black floor, but Nico's could, as he padded behind me in his loud, clunky boots. "Is there a reason you're here?" I asked him casually, gripping the blankets on my bed and throwing them to the floor.

"Yeah, Dad wants to see you."

I sighed, but nodded. "All right." I walked to the door, stepping between blankets, pillows, and a stuffed hydra before turning to him, motioning to the things on the floor with my index finger. "Have the servants fix these the way I like it, no other. Got it?"

He saluted me, taunting me with a, "Yes, ma'am!"

I rolled my eyes at him, leaving the door open behind me. I was still barefoot, but the floors were always kept clean and smooth, so I could walk with my feet shoeless, without fear of dirt of cuts. Not that it mattered, with the amount of time I walked like this at camp, my feet were tough as steel.

Thinking I probably should have asked where he was, I wandered around the east wing for a while before giving up, and asking a guard where he was.

It carried a gun in its hands, but didn't bother to look at me as I spoke to it. "Throne room," it curtly said, staring at the emptiness of the room ahead.

"Which way is that?"

He lifted up his hand, pointing west. I muttered a small, "Thanks," before going on my way, picking up my pace, and dress, starting to run. If I took too long, Dad would get irritated and snap at me… again. He's always so temperamental, but Nico said that he's different when Persephone's around… not that I've ever seen it. Or her.

In fact… from what Nico told me, Lady Persephone herself is missing. She's not in the Underworld, obviously, but she isn't in Olympus. The odd thing is, though, Demeter isn't having a fit. She's calm… happy, in fact. It's been bothering Nico for weeks.

Shaking my head, I let the smooth fabric slip through my fingers as I let go, putting my hands out and pushing the heavy doors open. I let out a grunt, but the slid open moments later, my pride very thankful. I would never hear the end of it if I couldn't get those open. I mean, I've done it before.

"Yes, Dad?" I asked as I entered, my braid whisking behind me as the cool, though not quite freezing, air hit my face.

My father sat on his throne, looking bored out of his mind. He had a staff in his hands- and no, it wasn't Hermes', it had a big, fat skull on it- and looked about ready to stab something with it. He looked up at me when I came in, and I had to refrain from scowling at how much drearier this room was compared to the rest of the palace.

"Sit," he ordered, "we have many things to talk about." He lifted his hand, motioning me to sit. His eyebrow, however, quirked, as if to say, "Do you even dare to defy me?"

"More?" I asked, incredulous. We've talked more these last few days than we have in my entire life, what more could there possibly be to talk about? It's not like I was breaking anymore rules. … which, actually, depressed me in the slightest bit. I was the most forbidden out of demigods- a child of the Big Three; of _Hades_. For me, rules were meant to be broken! Where would I be now if I followed them? At camp? Friendless? Perhaps even dead?

"Sit," he repeated, his voice more firm. I stood still for a moment longer, then walked over to the small, adviser's chair beside his throne. I knew better than to sit in the seat of Persephone. If anyone, other than the gods themselves, sat in one of their thrones… they could be considered incinerated. At least advisers were temporary, my father often got irritated with anyone after a short period of time. The new one, his name is Jacob. Apparently, my father chose him because he lived on some really freaky island or something…

I know, I didn't understand, either. I just learned not to ask.

My feet twitched, aching to move again. ADHD was sometimes an incredibly… irritating thing to have? It kept me alive in battle, but in class, or just simply relaxing, it made me look as if I was either on a caffeine high, or I was just high in general.

"As I have… come to understand, you find it difficult to remain at Camp Half-Blood," began my father slowly, looking at me as if he wasn't sure the words coming out of his mouth were really the proper things to say. I nodded slightly, not quite sure where he was headed, but urged him to continue.

"I was… thinking over those facts last night. I was torturing souls, you see, but this one soul reminded me of you."

I frowned, a sour look quickly passing through my face. "That's, um, nice. Thanks Dad."

"No, no. Let me finish. The soul committed suicide after killing her lover's wife-"

"-_dad!_"

"-but she had the same look of unhappiness in her eyes as you do in yours. Now, I don't want any child of mine to be disgraced in such a way. Suicide? No one with my blood in their veins shall take such a simple, easy route! Therefore, I want you to live here, with your brother and I."

Deadpanned, I could only utter a few short words from my mouth. "You-want-I-_what?"_

"Live here."

"I-I… let me think about it." In truth, I really didn't know what to say. Offers like that didn't come from my dad very often, and I had a feeling he was acting on desperation. I had the odd, rather unnerving feeling that something had happened, or was even happening at that very moment. "Give me one week. I'll go back to camp, but in seven days, I'll have an answer for you."

He frowned, fiddling with the skull ring around his middle finger, but eventually just nodded and shrugged. "That sounds… suitable. However, if you aren't going to be staying here, you need to take a few precautions."

I shrugged this time, "All right, that sounds… fair. What are they? Not to step in hot lava, or something like that?"

He smirked at me, but shook his head. "No, not quite. I can only give you very subtle warnings, Emilie. Do _not _associate with… a certain redheaded male."

"Don't…?" I asked, a tad bit more confused than I should have been. I was expecting something like, 'Stay away from Dionysus!' or something like that, but a redhead? What kind of warning is that? "I don't think I actually know any, so we're good. But why?"

"I'm not at liberty to share that with you, at the moment," he stated, his eyes narrowing in the slightest. Not at me, of course, but at the very sentence. It was as if he was angry with not being able to tell me- or perhaps anyone? It was almost… peculiar.

"Can I have a name, at least?"

"No. Just… beware."

"All right," I said, shrugging. It really, honestly, wasn't that big of a deal. Stay away from a redheaded male? Got it.

"Now," he began, "in the rare chance you _are _approached, and you feel you need protection, you must ask Dionsysus."

At that sentence… I practically choked on my own spit. Was he _insane_? He hates me associating with Dionysus, he hates it when I mention him, he hates it when I think about him, he hates _all _of it! Plus, he knows how I'm feeling, why would he even… why…? "But-I don't- it won't help."

"If you are in trouble, _you will go to him_. Understand?"

"I… yes sir,"

**-xxx-**

**Okay, short chapter, I know. I'm sorry….**

**I know it's been a terribly long time since my last update- or Riley's, but I swear, she's a freaking lost cause right now, when it comes to writing. I have **_**no **_**hold over her, I can't get her to write! Anyway, I wanted to update a lot during the summer, but I just didn't. I wish I had a plausible excuse for you, but I really don't. I was lazy. **

**School started, and though I find it hard to write during the week, I'll do it whenever I can. I wouldn't expect an update next week or something, unless I'm **_**really **_**bored. And Tumblr is down. Tumblr… **_**God**_**, that's an addicting site. Follow me, if you'd like. aquafizzy10. **

**Um… what else…. Oh! I'm really excited about superheroes and stuff, dunno if I told you all that… the Avengers is what I'm really looking forward to. Lord, all of those actors are attractive. **

**One more thing! My writing I've been really lacking lately, I really wanted to improve. This chapter isn't much… but I hope you all notice a difference. I want to write a book, but before I can do that, I need to better my writing. Leave a review, please? Or a PM. I'd really like to know how I'm doing!**


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